Made to Be Broken
by Jack E. Peace
Summary: What if Sam, Laura and Brian had decided to stay in J.D.'s apartment instead of trying to make it to the train station. It's a choice that leaves them unprepared for the super-storms and everything else that's headed their way.
1. The Sanctuary

Disclaimer: None of the characters from the movie belong to me, enough said.

A/N: So, here's my next long _Day _fic, as promised. Some parts differ from what happened in the movie and I realize this and I've written it that way, but just go with me on this one. The idea to put quotes before each chapter comes from the talented writer Sullen Lily, so the credit's all hers. As always, review and let me know what you think and enjoy.

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_"In the old days, people used to hide out in churches. They claimed sanctuary." _"What were they hiding from?"

-Dr. Malcolm Crowe & Cole Sear, _The Sixth Sense_

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Chapter One

The Sanctuary

Sam Hall really wished that he had an umbrella. Not for himself, though it wouldn't have hurt to at least be a little less wet then he currently was, but for the girl standing next to him, shivering in the rain that seemed to pour from the sky, standing in water that reached well over her ankles. Laura Chapman wrapped her arms around her elbows, squinting her eyes in an attempt to peer through the thick sheets of rain, shivering as she watched the street before her. Sam figured his attention would be on the street as well, if he weren't so busy watching her.

After all, how often was it that one got to see New York Avenue completely underwater, taxi cabs stuck with their wheels spinning, sending sheets of water cascading behind them, and people complaining of that fact, as though they couldn't see the water that was causing the sight. Sam knew it had been raining in sheets for nearly three and a half days but it still seemed surreal that a city such as New York could be nearly incapacitated by nearly five inches of water. It certainly wasn't something you saw every day, that was for certain.

On Sam's other side, his best friend, Brian Parks, commented once again and how bizarre the weather was. Sam was certain that all of New York City had come to that conclusion, but that didn't stop his friend from stating that fact for what felt like the tenth time in so many minutes.

"This isn't exactly how I pictured this trip to go." Laura remarked and Sam's attention was once again fully concentrated on her. She sighed, blinking her eyes, tiny droplets of water falling from them.

Sam nodded in agreement. "Me neither." He remarked, though he made no move to tell her just what he had had in mind for his first trip to New York. After all, Laura had no idea that he'd been in love with her since the first moment he saw her five months ago, and so it would do no good to explain the romantic ideas he'd had in mind.

Laura looked away from Sam and focused her gaze once again on the payphone across the street where J.D. Walters stood, speaking, without success it appeared, into the black receiver. She hadn't known J.D. for more then a few hours, but she had the feeling that getting out of the rain and finding a place to stay until the ban on air traffic was lifted depended solely on him. After all, she didn't know anyone else that lived anywhere near New York, let alone someone that had an apartment and was willing to let her and her friends stay there until they could get home again.

With a look of exasperation, J.D. slammed the phone back onto its cradle and turned away, squinting his eyes as he looked across the street, as though checking to make sure Sam, Laura and Brian were still waiting for him on the other side. He headed away from the payphone and across the road, glaring down at the water with a look of disdain as the murky water rose over the sides of his shoes, soaking through his soaks. Sam couldn't help but roll his eyes; it was just like a rich New York City kid to get a little pissy when his two hundred dollar loafers got a little wet.

When J.D. joined the others on the sidewalk, he was still frowning. "Victor's stuck in traffic." He explained and Laura couldn't keep a little sigh from escaping her lips. "We can either wait here until the traffic breaks up or we can walk to my apartment."

Brian looked at the other boy. "How far to your apartment?" He questioned and Sam expected him to pull out his trusty map of the city, as though planning on checking for the shortest route. But his gaze remained on J.D., his suitcase at his feet.

"Three blocks." J.D. answered promptly. "But it'll probably take longer in this weather."

Laura was surprised to hear J.D. say 'this weather', as though he expected the rain to simply clear up in a matter of minutes and the miniature flood to go with it. As far as she was concerned, the two feet of water she was standing in could no longer be considered 'this weather.'

But, of course, Laura didn't say any of those things. Instead, she questioned, "How long did your driver say he would be stuck in traffic?" J.D. couldn't give her an answer. She turned to look at Sam, though she wasn't quite sure what had driven her to do so, as though he would provide her with the support that she needed when she offered her next suggestion. "Maybe we should just walk." Laura looked away from Sam and toward the sidewalk, feeling fluttery and embarrassed and not quite sure; he was just Sam, after all, he fellow decathlon teammate who showed no interest in her, whatsoever.

Nearly as soon as the words were out of her mouth, Sam agreed with them. "It could take hours for this traffic to dissipate." He pointed out when J.D. and Brian glared at him. "I'm not too keen on standing out in this rain for hours."

Laura looked up and nodded her agreement, adjusting the hat covering her damp and frizzy locks so that the bill partly covered her eyes. "I don't think the rain is going to let up any time soon." She added.

"But," J.D. protested. "It's three blocks." Sam expected him to get pouty, like a kid denied his share of ice cream after dinner, but he just frowned. "It might not take that long for Victor to get out of traffic."

Sam rolled his eyes, ignoring the glare that J.D. gave him. "Three blocks isn't that far." He remarked. "Besides, if you ruin your shoes, I'm sure you can use daddy's credit card to buy a new pair." Laura looked at him, her eyes silently urging him not to slung any of the barbs he might be preparing. Sam fell silent, wishing he had never spoken, realizing how immature he probably looked at that moment for taking such a low shot.

The glare didn't vanish from J.D.'s face. "If you have a problem with me," he said, his voice low, eyes locked on Sam, "then maybe you should bring it up now." He took a step forward. "That way, we can deal with it."

Laura put her hand on J.D.'s arm, gently pushing him back again. "Now is not the time." She said, looking at J.D. Sam couldn't help but feel that she was defending him, but that feeling disappeared when she looked at him with that same scolding look in her eyes. "I think we have more important things to worry about right now."

Brian cleared his throat, looking from Laura, to the boys and then back again, acting as though he realized he should be the one breaking up the fight. "Yeah." He agreed, shifting his weight. "Grow up." He shut up then, feeling like a complete idiot.

Laura looked at him for a second before releasing J.D.'s arm and picking up her suitcase. "Come on, it's only three blocks." She said, sounding more commanding then Sam had ever heard her sound before. "We're just wasting time."

Sam looked at her for a moment, causing Laura to feel embarrassed all over again, before picking up his own bag. "She's right." He turned his attention toward J.D. "Which way?"

J.D. stared at his for a moment before motioning down the left side of the street; he and Brian led the way, with Sam and Laura following a few steps behind. Sam looked over at Laura, trying to catch her eye and say something, _anything_, but she stared straight ahead, as though purposefully avoiding him. He sighed and focused his attention ahead as well, though that view wasn't as pleasing as looking at the girl beside him.

The group walked in silence, buried in their own thoughts, the tension nearly palpable between Sam and J.D. Laura was all too aware of the looks that Sam was giving her and she almost felt guilty for stopping the fight that would surely have erupted between him and J.D.; he probably thought she was some stuck-up goody-two shoes who always had to have things neat and orderly and her way. She kept her gaze on the road ahead of her, unwilling to meet his eyes and see the thoughts behind them. It killed her to think that from the moment she first saw Sam, she fell in love with him and all she managed to do was screw up any chances that they might have had together.

As they got closer to J.D.'s apartment, the streets and sidewalks were growing more and more submerged, until Laura and Sam found themselves nearly up to their knees in water. Brian dragged his water-logged suitcase along, narrowing his eyes every time it bumped against his leg, nearly tripping him. He looked back at Sam. "Maybe we should have waited." He remarked.

Before Sam could say anything, J.D. interjected. "We're almost there." He told Brian. "Just another block." Brian remained silent after this, knowing it would take longer to go back and wait then it would to get to J.D.'s apartment. At least there he could get nice and dry and stay that way until the rain stopped and the flood was dealt with.

The towering building that housed J.D.'s apartment came into view at the same moment a sing-song ringing filled the air. Laura nearly jumped in surprise when the phone in her pocket began to ring and vibrate simultaneously and she looked down, as though she wasn't quite sure where the noise was coming from. She pulled the phone out of pocket. "I didn't have any service back by the school." Laura said to no one in particular as she flipped open her phone and answered it.

Sam stopped walking and turned to look at Laura, unable to keep the amused smile from his face when he realized that her ring-tone was the old Rick Springfield song about a guy that wanted someone else's girlfriend. Brian and J.D. stopped walking as well, once they realized they weren't being followed.

"Hi Mom." Laura was saying into her phone, looking pleased for a moment. "Yeah I'm still in New York. I don't know when I'll be home." Her pleased expression was slowly disappearing. "There's nothing I can do, Mom; I'll be home as soon as I can. Listen, Mom, I-" She stopped speaking abruptly and even Sam could hear the click from the other end of the phone. Laura sighed, the look on her face breaking Sam's heart into millions of pieces. "Yeah, love you too, see you soon." She mumbled dejectedly, flipping her cell phone shut and pocketing it again. Laura offered Sam a slight smile, though he could tell that her heart wasn't in it. "Connect was lost, maybe."

Sam smiled, though his heart wasn't in it either, for he was too busy picturing the heartbroken look on her face; he wondered if the look was a common one for her whenever she spoke to her mother. He wanted to ask, but it was obvious that now was the wrong time. "Well," he said, trying to keep the smile on his lips and force away the pained look on Laura's face. "At least we know the cell phone works in case we need it."

Laura didn't say anything in reply and they started walking again, quickening their pace slightly to catch up with Brian J.D., who had given up waiting. She tried to push aside the sound of her mother's voice, short and stony, sounding as it always did and thought instead of something that might cheer her up. She was, after all, getting the chance to spend more time in New York City, something she'd always wanted to do. And Sam was going to be around...

When they reached the sidewalk that stretched out in front of the towering apartment complex, not so cleverly named Plaza Apartments, Laura, Sam and Brian took shelter under a forest green awning while J.D. fished around for his house-key. Every so often, the awning would collect too much water and dump a bucketful onto the heads of the students seeking refuge beneath it, something that had Brian rolling his eyes every time it happened.

J.D. finally located his key and turned back to face the others, unable to keep himself from smiling when he saw them; the trio of students from Woodmont High looked like a trio of drowned rats, especially Laura, who's long curls had come loose from beneath her hat and fell across her cheeks and shadows in water-logged locks. But, J.D. couldn't help but realize that she still looked absolutely adorable; too bad Sam had already made it clear that she was off limits, though it wasn't like he was doing anything about it...

"Did you find the key?" Brain questioned, jarring J.D. out of his thoughts. The boy in question nodded and Brian sighed. "I don't understand why you couldn't have looked for it inside, where it was dry..." He grumbled, pulling his suitcase out of the water and slinging it over his shoulder.

Without another word, Sam and Laura followed J.D. into the lobby of the building, leaving Brian to tag along, grumbling to himself. J.D. headed for the elevator but Sam wasn't so sure that was the best thing to do. "Maybe we should take the stairs." He suggested.

J.D. turned to look at him. "My apartment's on the top floor." He pointed out, looking at Sam like he'd finally lost his mind. "What's wrong with the elevator?"

"With all the rain, the elevator might not be a good idea." Sam defended. "I mean, half of the city's already lost electricity."

Laura shuddered at the thought of being stuck in an elevator; she hated small places, elevators in particular and she instantly nodded. "The stairs sound like a good idea."

Sam couldn't help but smile, though he tried to keep the expression to himself. Maybe Laura didn't hate him after all, she was certainly quick to agree with him. He turned toward the winding staircase and thought about taking her arm to nudge her in that direction too, but decided against it. "Walking can't be too bad." Sam pointed out, looking over at his shoulder at Brian, who rolled his eyes. "How many floors can there be?"

"Twenty-five." J.D. supplied, almost smugly, as though that fact would steer Laura back in his direction and knock the idea of walking out of Sam's head.

However, Sam and Laura started toward the stairs, leaving J.D. to stare after them for a moment; mostly for the sake of staying with Laura, he hurried after them. Brian groaned, shifting his suitcase from one shoulder to the other. "What is with all this walking." He grumbled to himself as he mounted the stairs. "We're in New York, no one walks." It also appeared that no one was listening and Brian fell silent.

The only thing Sam regretted about deciding to walk was having to drag his water-logged suitcase up twenty-five flights of stairs. He was about to roll the bag down the stairs and say the hell with it when J.D. offered to carry Laura's suitcase, something he had been thinking about doing ever since they'd stepped off the plane.

Laura smiled and handed her bag to J.D., causing Sam to roll his eyes, though he was certain no one noticed. What a real gentleman that J.D. was, they were almost to his apartment for God's sake! But still, Sam was certain that Laura didn't notice that fact and J.D. _was _a gentleman in her eyes. _Nice going Sam... _he thought to himself and groaned inwardly.

Twenty-five flights of stairs later, they had reached J.D.'s apartment; the door was already unlocked, something that didn't seem to trouble J.D. as he pushed it open, flicking on a light switch. Laura's eyes widened as she took in her spacious surrounds in the decor in the living room that probably cost more then the furnishings in her entire house. She let out an appreciate sigh. "Wow." Her eyes continued to scan everything: the cherry wood furniture, the flat screen television, the wallpaper that looked like Chinese silk. "You live here."

J.D. sighed, sounding almost as though he regretted that fact. He set Laura's suitcase down beside the dining room table. "Only the weekends, it's my dad's place actually." Another sigh. "But he's kinda never around."

Laura looked over at Sam and raised an eyebrow; Sam was, first, touched that she remembered something so mundane as the fact that he didn't get along with his globe traveling father and second, surprised that she actually cared enough to let him know. Regardless of those facts, however, there was no way in hell he was bounding with that punk J.D. over something like that.

"Where is he?" Laura questioned, looking away from Sam and giving her attention back to the spacious house. She's love to explore the back rooms, but figured she'd let J.D. offer to give her the tour instead of wondering around by herself.

J.D. took off his damp coat and tossed it on the table. "Skiing in Europe with my step-mom." He grumbled unenthusiastically. The thought of his father with a woman barely old enough to be his big sister still revolted him, especially when he thought of his mother, cast aside for someone younger and blonder.

Sam took a look around the living room as he stripped off his coat and tossed it on top of J.D.'s; he had to admit, the apartment didn't lack in style and beauty. After a moment, he looked over at Laura, who was still taking in the sights, and then looked for Brian, who was standing by the window. He joined his friend and looked down at the water-swamped streets below. "I'm glad I'm not out there anymore." Sam remarked, for, if it was possible, it had begun to rain even heavier.

Brian looked over at his friend. "I know, it's crazy." He mumbled, sighing. "I feel like I'm hiding from something." He rolled his eyes. "Maybe I should start claiming sanctuary." It was a joke that only he seemed to find amusing.

Laura joined them at the window, standing beside Sam, taking off her hat. "What are we hiding from?" She questioned, her gaze remaining on the streets below. Even though the water seemed to be raising, a little rain still didn't seem like something to cower from.

There was silence for a moment before Sam said, "Nothing yet."

Somehow, Laura couldn't help but think that his words were shortly going to prove true.

_So, sorry this chapter wasn't very good but I wanted to set up for the story. It'll get better later, I promise; review and let me know what you think. _


	2. Tangled Feelings

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I wanna tell her that I love her but the point is probably moot.

- Rick Springfield, _Jessie's Girl_

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Chapter Two

Sam drew the blinds, blanketing the window in front of them and blocking out the sight of the sheeting rain; for some reason, thinking about the constant rain and the beginnings of the floor that was slowly claiming most of Manhattan was starting to make him nervous. It was probably all of the weather nonsense he had been hearing from his father since the cradle, but Sam just figured he would feel a little bit more comfortable if he managed to at least block the weather from his sight. Neither of his friends complained and Laura turned away from the window, sighing and shivering, her damp coat still sticking to her body.

J.D. disappeared down the single hallway that led to several rooms and appeared again moments later, his arms laden with towels and a handful of heavy coats. He carried his bundle across the living room and offered a towel and an over-coat to Laura. "After you get dried off," J.D. began, speaking to all of them, "I'll show you the rest of the apartment."

Laura smiled as she draped one of the fluffy towels over her dripping curls. "Thanks so much for letting us stay here." She told J.D., every word out of her mouth sincere. "I don't know where we would have gone."

J.D. smiled as well and waved his hand dismissively. "Don't mention it." He assured her. "It's the least I could do."

Sam rolled his eyes as he took one of the towels from the pile. That prep J.D. was just trying to get in good with Laura and that thought made him want to scoff; he'd been trying to swing Laura's attention his way for months and it hadn't happened. There was no way some jerk-off like J.D. could catch her eye in a matter of hours.

Laura peeled off her wet coat and hung it on the back of one of the chairs that surrounded the dinner table, where she had dropped her hat moments earlier. Still shivering, she toweled off her hair, suddenly feeling self-conscious when she realized that both Sam and J.D. were staring at her and she looked up. "What?" She questioned, looking from one boy to the other, trying to figure out just what was so interesting.

Sam looked away, feeling slightly embarrassed and buried his face in one of the towels, as though his skin was that damp; Laura probably thought he was the biggest idiot for staring at her like that. J.D. remained silent as well and Sam wanted to hit him in the face; he'd best keep his eyes to himself.

Once they were as dry as they could be with only the assistance of a towel, J.D. led them on a tour through his spacious apartment. Down the hallway were two bathrooms and a total of six rooms, something that Sam found almost hard to believe; he couldn't even imagine what the rent on a place like this must be. Laura's eyes grew wider with every room they entered, amazed by the fact that every room was lavishly decorated in its own costly style.

As J.D. gave them the tour of the master bedroom, complete with its own Jacuzzi, Laura leaned closer to Sam. "I think this room is bigger then my entire apartment." She whispered and Sam couldn't tell if she was kidding or not so he didn't say anything in return. He'd only been by her house once, dropping her off after a decathlon meet a few weeks ago but she hadn't let him walk her to her door, deciding it was better for them to part ways in front of the apartment complex.

"So." J.D. said with a sigh once they had returned to the spacious living room. "That's about it, pretty boring, huh?"

Laura shook her head. "Are you kidding?" She questioned. "Your house is amazing." She grinned. "Thanks so much for letting us stay with you."

J.D. smiled as well and Sam wanted to wipe that flirty grin right off his lips. "No problem. Sometimes it gets a little lonely around here when it's just me on the weekends."

"Your dad's gone a lot, huh?" Laura questioned, giving Sam another sly look, attempting to prod him into the conversation. But Sam remained silent, standing beside Laura just in case J.D. got any ideas. J.D. nodded, answering her question. "Where's your mom?"

J.D. sighed, the smile disappearing. "Last postcard I got from her was from Barbados." He answered. "My dad sends her to all sorts of places far away from here, trying to keep her from taking him to court after the divorce, I guess."

Laura gave him a sympathetic smile and Sam almost wanted to start complaining about his own crappy family life just to get the same sweet expression. But his life wasn't so bad, aside from the fact that his dad was always out of the country and his mother was always off dealing with someone else's children; even though he hated to admit it, he knew what J.D. was going through.

Brian was pacing around the living room, either bored or worried, picking up the assorted gold picture frames on the tables and studying them before setting them down again. Pacing with busy hands was nervous habit of his, one that no one was too fond of. He picked up one photo and paused, studying it closely before turning it so that J.D. and the others could see it. "Is this you and your brother?" He questioned and J.D. looked over at the picture.

"Yeah." He answered. "That's when we took a bike trip together."

Laura studied the picture for a minute, which showed J.D. and a boy no older then ten, standing with two bicycles beside a tree. "He's cute; he looks just like you." She smiled at J.D. and Sam rolled his eyes again. He knew he should have begged his mother for a brother.

"That's what everyone says." J.D. remarked. "Do you have any brothers?"

Laura shook her head. "Just a little sister, Tessa." She answered. "She's a brat, but I love her anyway." For a moment, she looked lost, depressed and Sam could tell that she was wishing to be back home again, where things were at least a little more normal there. He couldn't blame her; he'd give anything at that moment to be putting up with his dad's lectures and his mother's constant scolding about how he shouldn't drink milk from the carton and when the phone rang you were supposed to answer it. That was a bad habit of his, unless, of course, it was Laura on the other line.

Brian set the picture down again and a silence settled over the group; for a moment, no one knew what to do, what to say, or how to act. For the first time, the events of the previous hours were really beginning to settle in and for the first time, Sam felt aware of just what was going on. They were trapped in New York City, their families were miles away and he had the feeling that things were just going to get worse.

After a moment, J.D. cleared his throat and looked over at Sam and Brian. "You guys wanna...play video games?" He realized how immature it probably sounded at that moment but it was the only thing he could use to break the silence.

Laura looked over at Sam for a moment and could tell that he was planning on agreeing with J.D.'s offer and so was Brian and so, she turned her attention on J.D. "Don't I get to play?" She questioned, raising an eyebrow and crossing her arms over her chest, feigning insult.

J.D. looked surprised. "You like video games?" He questioned, feeling like an idiot.

"Sure." Laura said. "I do things other then study." She shot a look at Sam, who stared at his feet. Apparently, she wasn't ever going to let him forget how he had somehow mercilessly teased her for burying her noise in books all of the time.

"Great." Brian said, taking Laura's attention away from Sam and turning it on him. "Now we can play."

With that matter settled, J.D. led them over to the flat screen television, opening an oak cabinet beneath it and revealing a Nintendo Game Cube. There weren't a whole lot of games to choose from, so J.D. quickly settled on "Bloody Roar: Primal Fury" and doled out the controllers.

Laura sat down on the floor beside Sam, leaning against the couch, her shoulder brushing against his; Sam acted like he was scooting closer to see the screen better just so he could be even nearer to her. She looked over at him and smiled slightly, almost self-consciously, but didn't move away.

The video game started up, offering a welcome screen with a list of options and the sounds of computerized people screaming and being beaten in the background. J.D. looked over at Laura, feeling like something idiotic was about to come out of his mouth, whether he could help it or not. "I don't know if you've played this sort of video game before, Laura." He began and she looked at him. "It's a fighting game, where the object is to beat the other person."

Laura sighed. "I think I got it." She mumbled, looking away from J.D. and to the huge television screen in front of her. Sam could tell that she didn't appreciate being talked to like a girl from the 1950's who had never heard of the idea of video games before and wanted to say something in her defense but couldn't find the right words.

J.D. decided it would be best to have a team battle -he and Brian against Sam and Laura- so that Laura could learn the ropes of the game and see how it was done. The characters were chosen -Sam the tiger, Laura the wolf, J.D. the bat and Brian the mole, something that had Sam teasing him for a good two minutes- before the game began.

Almost instantly, Laura transformed her character into a werewolf type man and tossed J.D.'s character across the arena with a combination that not even Sam recognized. J.D.'s mouth dropped and his eyes went wide as he looked over at her. "Good Lord, woman." He muttered. "Where did you learn how to do that?"

Laura smiled at him. "You never asked if I had played this game before." She reminded him. "My sister and I play all the time."

Sam smiled as well, smugly, and looked over at Laura. "Next time we play, you're on my team." He assured her.

Laura smiled.

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The novelty of video games wore off quickly for Sam and Laura and they decided to leave Brian and J.D. sitting on the floor, hitting buttons on the controllers and shouting at their video game characters. Laura rolled her eyes and she raised the blinds, peering outside; the rain hadn't slackened and she was beginning to believe that it had even gotten worse.

Night had fallen, though it didn't look any different from the cloudy day, aside from the fact that several street lights had popped on and were trying to chase away the darkness with a weak orange glow. Laura shivered and stepped away, wishing that Sam was standing beside her but he had vanished off down the hallway, disappearing into one of the rooms. That fact was just further proof in her mind that at times he just couldn't stand to be around her; sure, he'd been nice to her when they had been playing video games but they were team mates. You had to be nice to your team mates.

Laura dropped the blinds again, stepping away from the window and turning back toward Brian and J.D.; looking out the window at the darkness beyond was beginning to creep her out and she couldn't explain why. "J.D." He didn't look up when she called his name, too busy shouting and hitting buttons rapidly on his controller. "J.D."

This time, he looked over at her, hitting the pause button. "Do you have any candles or anything?" Laura questioned, feeling the desire to brighten up the room even the slightest bit. Candles were cheery and she needed cheery right then.

"Sure." J.D. told her. "They're in the cabinet beside the refrigerator." He gestured in that direction and Laura started into the kitchen. "There should be a lighter in there too."

Laura opened the cupboard door and found several scented candles and a single lighter; she picked out two lavender candles, the wax enclosed in a large glass holder and headed back into the living room. Setting one of the candles aside, she picked up the other and flicked the lighter with the other.

For a moment, there was no flame and Laura flicked it again, sparking the lighter to life and burning the ball of her thumb and index finger. She dropped the lighter and the candle, crying out in a pain and holding onto her hand, tears welling involuntarily in her eyes as she stared down at her throbbing hand.

"Laura?" Sam called from one of the rooms down the hallway, heading into the living room with a look of worry on his face before J.D. and Brian even managed to pause their game. His eyes settled on her and she could read the concern in them when she looked up from her hand long enough to notice him. "Are you all right?" He questioned. "What happened?"

"I burned myself." Laura answered, feeling like an idiot all of the sudden. She shouldn't have made a big deal, she'd burned herself before doing the exact same thing only now she was acting like a damsel in distress in front of Sam. "I'm okay." She assured him.

Sam took her hand without thinking and studied her fingers; Laura felt her eyes go wide and suddenly felt nervous, the way that she had the first time she had set eyes on Sam months ago. A part of her wanted to pull away but she couldn't bare to do so and so she stood, motionless, while Sam held her hand in his. "You should put some water on this." Sam said after a minute, looking up at her and suddenly letting go of her hand, as though he just realized what he was doing.

Laura swallowed and nodded, staring down at her feet and wishing that she could actually say something. Sam cleared his throat, feeling like a dork and found himself looking at the ground as well. "There's a wash cloth in the bathroom," he mumbled, "if you want to..."

"Oh sure." Laura nodded, looking up again. She stared at Sam for a moment, waiting for him to say something more but when he didn't she brushed past him, heading toward the bathroom. She wished that she had could up with something smooth and, God forbid, even sexy to say to him at that moment to let him know that she not only liked him but appreciated his concern. But no, she was just dorky Laura Chapman that could rattle off useless facts about the Russian Revolution but couldn't even tell a guy that she liked him.

Sam mumbled to himself as he watched Laura vanish down the sidewalk, feeling like an idiot. From the living room, J.D. and Brian were watching him with grins on their faces, something that Sam didn't exactly appreciate. "Just shut up." He mumbled.

"You know," J.D. began, "if you really like her that much, you should just tell her how you feel." He'd never had a problem in that department, after all.

Brian sighed. "I've been giving him that advice for almost five months now. Trust me, it doesn't work." He told J.D.

"Just shut up." Sam snapped again.

Laura was running her fingers under the cold water running from the bathroom sink when someone knocked on the door before nudging it open. She smiled slightly when she saw Sam, still standing in the hallway with a dish towel with something wrapped inside. "I thought you might want some ice." He said, handing her the towel.

Laura took the towel from him. "My hand's really not that bad." She said, then quickly changed her pace. "I mean, thanks a lot." She smiled and shut the water off. For a minute, Sam looked like he wanted to say something but remained silent and so she busied herself pressing the ice against her hand. She shivered and decided the ice wasn't a great idea, seeing as she still hadn't recovered from the chilly rain outside.

Sam smiled at her slightly, though the smile looked a little uncomfortable and forced. "I'm glad your hand is okay." He mumbled, feeling the urge to just stop talking and go back into the living room. If he let himself speak for a prolonged period of time around Laura, stupid things usually started coming out.

"Thanks." Laura muttered, dumbly in her opinion, and sat down on the edge of the claw-foot bath tub, pushing the shower curtain out of her way. She could feel Sam watching her closely, though she couldn't figure out if the attention was good or bad. He probably thought she was a freak who couldn't even light a candle and she wasn't at all surprised; she was beginning to think that herself.

For a moment, Sam couldn't get over how adorably sexy Laura looked, sitting on the edge of the tub, nervously and subtly biting the corner of her bottom lip. It seemed like the perfect time to tell her how he really felt, whether she returned his feelings or not, this was the perfect time to get them off his chest.

But, as soon as Sam opened his mouth to confess just why he had flown to New York in the first place, Laura made the attempt to cross her legs and tumbled backward into the bathtub. She nearly pulled the shower curtain down with her, groaning as she landed with a _thud _in the bathtub, knocking her head on the wall.

Even though he had just watched the woman he loved tumble into a bathtub, Sam couldn't keep himself from laughing, the whole scene seeming like something straight out of a movie. "Are you all right?" He questioned in between laughs. He headed over to her and took Laura by the wrists, gently helping her out of the bathtub. "Laura, are you hurt?"

Laura blinked, and shook her head, a little hurt by his laughter, whether she let it show or not. "No, I'm fine." She mumbled, pulling her wrists free and gingerly touching the back of her head. "I'm such an idiot."

Sam forced himself to stop smiling once he saw the embarrassment and hurt in Laura's doe-brown eyes. "Are you sure?" He questioned. "I'm going to get some more ice." He took the towel and headed out of the bathroom.

Once Sam had disappeared, Laura sighed and buried her face in her hands. Great, now she had really screwed things up with Sam, what a perfect time to have klutz attack. She leaned against the wall and slid to the floor, knocking her head against the wall and instantly regretting that action. "Ow." She mumbled, closing her eyes. "Smooth move Chapman."

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So, thanks for all the reviews so far! You guys are so great; of course, Lilly, you're a great writer! Thanks to Wally and Muzzy for the sweet reviews (and that means you too, Lilly) and encouragement. And all the kind words from Ms. Aiken. Thanks again for the reviews! 


	3. 3 AM

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"You're the closest to Heaven that I'll ever be and I don't want to go home right now. And all I can taste is this moment and all I can breathe is your life. 'Cause sooner or later it's over and I don't want to miss you tonight."

- The Goo Goo Dolls, _Iris_

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Chapter Three

3 A.M.

Laura shivered as thunder rattled the windows of J.D.'s apartment and crossed her arms, trying to ignore the sounds from outside. Though she wasn't quite sure why, the constant rain was beginning to cause a cold pit to develop in her stomach and, while a part of her still wanted to believe that the rain would stop by the time dawn arrived, she wasn't so sure.

For the moment, Laura managed to turn her attention away from the vibrating thunder and the sound of the water tapping against the windows, staring instead at the flat-screen television set a few feet in front of her. Brian and J.D. had long since given up playing video games and had instead turned to watching one of J.D.'s many DVDs, _South Park _if she wasn't mistaken.

After a minute of watching three stout children sing about what their idol, whom she had never heard of, would do in their situation, Laura cleared her throat and got J.D.'s attention. "J.D., I really hate to ask but do you think I could use your shower?" She questioned. "My hair's matted from the rain."

J.D. nodded. "Sure, no problem." He assured her. "There's one down the hall and one in the master bedroom." He explained, seeming reluctant to leave the animated movie in front of him. "There should be towels on the racks."

Laura smiled, thanked him, and headed off toward the bathroom that had been the scene of her latest embarrassing feat. She had barely spoken to Sam since she had tumbled into the bathtub, too embarrassed to look him in the eye, constantly chastising herself for being so stupid.

In the kitchen, Sam routed through the refrigerator, trying to ignore the fact that Laura was going to be taking a shower within minutes. In order to gain at least some control over his thoughts, he pushed aside jars and cans, trying to find something to eat for dinner, other then ravioli, which J.D. and Brian were happily munching on. Finally, Sam decided on frying up a grilled cheese sandwich and stood up, shutting the refrigerator door.

"Laura," he called from the kitchen, causing her to pause halfway down the hall, "do you want me to make you a grilled cheese?" Sam hoped that his offer would at least convey a little of how much he cared about her. However, he doubted it, because a grilled cheese sandwich wasn't exactly the way to say 'I love you.'

Though Sam couldn't see her, Laura smiled. "Sure." She told him. "That'd be great." She ducked into the bathroom and locked the door behind her. She smiled at her reflection, the earlier embarrassment momentarily forgotten, though she wasn't exactly sure what she was grinning about. As far as she knew, making someone a sandwich wasn't the best why to say you care, it was just a friendly gesture. Regardless, Laura kept smiling to herself.

In the kitchen, Sam stood for a moment in front of the closed refrigerator, as though he couldn't believe that he had gotten out a complete sentence. Sure, he could talk to Laura but their conversations were largely her speaking and him inserting a few choice words here and there.

From the living room, the sounds of _South Park _could still faintly be heard over the pounding rain and the water running from the shower. Every-so-often, Brian would snicker at something on the cartoon but Sam wasn't paying much attention to his friend, once again thinking about Laura.

Inside the bathroom, Laura was singing quietly to herself beneath the pounding of the water from the showerhead. Her voice was soft, as though she didn't want anyone to know that she was singing but unable to keep herself from doing so, running through the verses of an old song by Matchbox 20. The song was "3 A.M.", which had been his favorite song when it had first come out; he remembered sitting in the backseat of his mother's car, inharmoniously shouting out the words along with the radio. It was a wonder that his mother hadn't wrecked the car during those impromptu concerts.

But Laura's voice was the exact opposite of his, clearly beautiful despite the hushed volume. Sam stood still, as though unwilling to do anything that might change the moment, and listened to her sing.

Brian noticed his friend staring and cleared his throat, causing Sam to look over at him, abandoning his view of the empty hallway. His friend was regarding him with an amused look on his face. "What?" Sam muttered, opening the refrigerator again and retrieving cheddar cheese.

Brian dropped his empty bowl into the sink and, after a moment of debating, turned on the faucet and washed it out. "She's been singing in the choir since she was in the first grade." He remarked and Sam retrieved a frying pan, trying to act as though he had no idea what Brian was talking about. "Laura's got a great voice."

Sam agreed, turning on the stove and slathering the pan with cooking oil; that was how his father always made sandwiches and they turned out all right. He paused and turned to look at Brian, who was washing off his spoon. "You and Laura have known each other for a long time, right?" He asked.

Brian nodded. "Yeah, my dad and her mom went to high school and college together." He answered. "I've known her nearly my whole life."

Sam slapped four pieces of bread into the frying pan. "How's her mother?" He asked. "I mean, Laura just seemed upset when her mom called earlier, so I was just wondering..." He trailed off, not quite sure what he was wondering. Sam suddenly felt like he was prying into Laura's private life and not even sure why he wanted to know. But that look on Laura's face was still nagging at him, breaking his heart and he couldn't resist the question.

Brian looked almost thoughtful for a moment as he shut the water off; Sam realized that the shower had shut off as well and Laura was humming quietly to herself as she no doubt toweled. He forced his mind toward other things. "Laura and her mom don't really get along." Brian answered finally, after a moment of listening to the rain beat against the glass windows. "They never really have."

Sam pursed his lips, more intrigued now because it was easier to place the look on Laura's face. He'd had that very same look on his face before when he had learned that his father was going to miss his seventh birthday party and that Jack Hall wasn't going to see him in the school's product of _The Wizard of Oz_. It was the look that spoke of disappointment, of being hurt when you knew that you should be expecting it anyway.

Brian seemed to be able to read the look as well, though he had never experienced it first hand, and was about to say something more when the bathroom door opened and Laura stepped out. Her hair was still wet and stringing, sticking to her cheeks and the back of her neck and she was wearing a baggy tee-shirt and jeans, no doubt retrieved from her soaking suitcase.

Sam stared at her for a moment, surprised by how he was still utterly enthralled every time Laura came into view. She didn't seem to notice, retreating to the window once more and staring outside; it was still raining sheets and even from the top of the apartment complex, she could tell the water level down below was rising. She sighed, crossing her arms over her chest and cradling her elbows in her palms, hugging herself. "Do you think this rain is ever going to stop?" Laura questioned to no one, though she figured that someone in the room was bound to answer. She didn't turn away, keeping her back to the boys that were watching her closely.

"I hope so." Sam mumbled, trying to concentrate on something other then how utterly beautiful Laura looked at the moment. "I'm ready to go home." Brian seconded that statement.

For a brief moment, there was no sound other then the rain trickling down the glass window and the muffled shouts coming from the cartoons on the television. Then, Laura turned around, a confused look on her face; she wrinkled her nose. "Is something burning?"

Sam turned around so suddenly that he nearly knocked into the kitchen table and wasn't surprised to see that the pieces of bread that he had set to toast on the stove were no burning and smoking. Shooting off a string of choice words, he quickly turned off the burner and picked the pan up with a potholder, dumping it into the sink.

"Fabulous." Sam mumbled to himself as he turned on the faucet, dousing the flaming pieces of bread and causing more smoke to invade the kitchen. "Just great." Not only had he ruined both his and Laura's dinner, but now she probably thought that he couldn't handle himself in the kitchen. Just fabulous.

Laura entered the kitchen and gave him a sympathetic pat on the back. Sam looked up at her and smiled slightly. "I could try again." He offered.

"Please don't." J.D. called from the living room before Laura could even open her mouth. "We'd all asphyxiate."

Sam glared at him, his anger toward J.D. for his most recent comment only softened by the fact that Laura's hand was still on his shoulder. "I don't have much of an appetite right now, Sam." She told him, a faint smile on her lips as well. "I guess I'm just nervous about the storm." Her eyes flicked back to the window again.

"I know what you mean." Sam said with a sigh, his eyes leaving Laura's face to watch the window as well. There was nothing to see but velvet blackness, the streetlights were slowly ticking off, one by one. "I hope it ends soon." He'd heard rumors that, on top of grounding all air traffic, many train stations and subway stations were going to close down. He wasn't looking forward to being stranded in New York with all this weird weather going on, his father had sounded worried over the phone earlier that afternoon.

Laura nodded her silent agreement, yawning and trying to hide it behind her fingers, wondering her sudden exhaustion had come from. All the stresses of the day seemed to be suddenly catching up with her and she felt as though she could drop right where she was standing. At least the upside of that would be that Sam would be there to catch her.

J.D., who had been watching both Sam and Laura closely, stood up when Laura yawned and said, "Maybe we should turn in. Who knows what kind of day we could have tomorrow."

Though she wasn't exactly excited about sleeping in a stranger's house, in a stranger's bed, Laura nodded in agreement, hiding another yawn. "Sounds like a good idea to me." She mumbled, fighting the urge to lay her head against Sam's shoulder.

Sam looked over at Laura, who looked exhausted and, when he looked back at J.D., brought up the topic of sleeping arrangements. J.D. waved his hand dismissively. "They're are six bedrooms, take your pick." He reminded, shutting off the television but leaving several of the lights on. No one seemed particularly eager to plunge the room into complete darkness.

The master bedroom was designated for Laura, J.D. kept his old bedroom and Sam and Brian took two of the other, largely unmemorable rooms. At the moment, the queen sized bed in the guest bedroom looked so inviting to Sam that he thought about just kicking off his shoes and climbing under the comforter. But the clothes he was wearing were still damp from being in the rain earlier in the day and it wasn't difficult to hear his mother's voice in the back of his head, scolding him for sleeping in wet clothes.

With a grumble, Sam turned away from the bed and retrieved a dry pair of clothes from his suitcase and headed down the hallway once more. The bathroom was already occupied and Sam voted against standing and waiting; there was another bathroom in the master bedroom and he was sure Laura wouldn't mind if he popped in for a second to change.

When Sam entered the master bedroom, he saw that it was empty and figured that Laura was in the bathroom as well; the door was open, so he crossed the room and headed in that direction. Laura was standing by the sink, her hair pulled back in a ponytail, brushing her teeth. She didn't notice him when he walked in so Sam knocked lightly on the open door, not wanting to startle her.

At the sound of his knock, Laura jumped slightly, surprised anyway and looked in his direction. Spitting out the remainder of the mixture of water and toothpaste in her mouth, she hastily wiped her lips with a towel and gave him her full attention. Sam couldn't help but smile at how embarrassed she appeared at being caught brushing her teeth.

"I didn't mean to startle you." Sam apologized when he managed to force the smile aside. "The other bathroom's being used, so I wanted to know if I could use this one." He held up the change of clothes in his hands as though it would further explain why he was there.

Laura nodded and set the towel on the edge of the sink. "Sure." She told him, shutting off the water flowing from the faucet. Sam smiled and entered the bathroom as Laura left, brushing past him and shutting the door behind her. For a moment, Sam stood in the middle of the empty bathroom, holding his dry clothes in his hands, as though the thought of Laura being so close in the other room was enough to make him rethink getting dry.

Sam sighed finally, looking at his reflection in the mirror; nothing about what was staring back at him -the pale, cold skin, wearily eyes and exhausted face- was attractive, so there was no doubt in his mind that Laura saw him any other way. He just had to gain control over himself. Which seemed much easier said then done.

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Laura figured it was well past midnight but that information did little to ease her mind, no longer exhausted, into the realm of sleep. All she could do, it appeared, was lay in the gigantic bed in a gigantic bedroom, listening to the rain knock against the windows in the dark.

Thunder rattled the windowpanes seconds after lightning illuminated the room for a brief second and Laura pulled the comforter higher up around her body. She felt like a little girl again, hiding under her covers from the rain storm outside. She figured it had more to do with being in a strange place, a strange room where she didn't know the shadows and the sounds, then being frightened of the actual storm but Laura knew there was a bit of that involved too. The strange weather was scaring her more then she'd like to admit, it wasn't natural for it to rain without stopping for nearly four days and the streets below were being to show evidence of that fact.

Regardless of what was causing her to shiver beneath the goose-down comforter across her shoulders, Laura knew that one thing was for certain: it was highly unlikely that she was going to get any sleep tonight. The fact that she was beginning to feel the effects of skipping dinner and a large lunch just seemed to confirm that revelation and Laura found herself torn between the decision of getting up and rummaging through the kitchen and disturbing the rest of her housemates. At least when she was at home and got up for a midnight snack, she knew where the floor creaked and which cabinets needed oil.

Lightning flashed again, booming thunder following instantly in its wake. After it had passed and the room had returned to darkness, Laura sighed and pushed away the covers that she had been clutching so tightly. She'd just duck into the kitchen for a moment, grab some crackers or something and get back into the room before anyone even noticed she was awake.

Laura shivered as she stepped out of bed, rubbing her hands along her arms as she headed toward the door. The temperature was definitely starting to drop and she wondered if that had anything to do with the weather outside; for all she knew, a massive cold front was causing it all: the rain, the storms, everything. She'd have to ask Sam what he thought of the whole thing in the morning; his father worked with the weather if she wasn't mistaken, maybe he'd heard something about an approaching front.

The hallway and rooms beyond were dark but Laura didn't want to risk turning on even a lamp; she put one hand against the wall and started down the hallway, trying to remember if there was anything to bump into along the way. Nothing came across her path and she made it into the living room without making any noise.

Laura stood for a moment in the living room, attempting to let her eyes adjust to the blackness; every time lightning would flash across the sky, her vision would seem to reset itself, leaving her staring through the dark once again. Finally, she gave up trying to penetrate the darkness and walked in the general direction of where she figured the kitchen to be.

When the reached the kitchen, Laura decided her journey had been a successful one; she'd only knocked her hip against a table once and stubbed her toe twice and both times she had managed to keep from crying out. Once she was in the kitchen, it wasn't hard to find the massive refrigerator and opened that first, squinting her eyes against the sudden onslaught of light.

The refrigerator yielded no results and she closed it again, turning toward the row of cabinets and putting her back to the living room. Laura pushed aside a box of popcorn -too noisy-, one of oatmeal -which she refused to eat- and was just above to shove aside a can of instant coffee when someone's hand dropped onto her shoulder.

Unable to stop herself, Laura cried out in surprise and dropped the coffee can onto the ground, where it thankfully didn't spill and froze on instinct. She had never been very good with dealing with a surprise threat, often freezing up and remaining that way until something snapped her out of it. It was a reaction that had caused her little sister, Tessa, to stop trying to scare her all together, because the out come wasn't exactly what she had been hoping for.

"Laura," The sound of someone calling her name caused Laura to blink and slowly turn toward the person that had startled her. Sam was standing behind her, barely visible in the poor light and she let out a slow sigh of relief. It wasn't as though she had been expecting some mass murderer to pop up behind her, but she felt a little better when she saw that it was only Sam.

"I didn't mean to scare you." Sam apologized quickly, just as he had done hours earlier. He seemed honestly concerned and Laura waved her hand dismissively to let him know that she hadn't been _that _scared...really.

Laura bent down and retrieved the coffee can, slipping it back into its place and shutting the cabinet door. "You couldn't sleep either?" She guessed and Sam nodded.

"I kept hearing strange noises." He explained, though that was only part of the growing insomnia. "Turns out one of them was you." He smiled at her through the darkness, a gesture that Laura appreciated. There was something about Sam's smile that managed to put her at ease, no matter what.

Laura sighed, smiling slightly herself. "Yeah, sorry about that. I was in need of a midnight snack."

Sam nodded in agreement. "That makes two of us." He told her. "I guess that's what happens when you have a handful of peanuts for lunch." Laura's smile grew wider. "Find anything appetizing?"

"No." Laura answered. "Unless you like oatmeal." She wrinkled her nose at the thought. "Or instant coffee."

Sam gave her that crooked smile again. "Coffee doesn't sound so bad right now." He remarked. "I could use something to warm me up." Laura nodded in agreement, though she had never been a big coffee drinker. "Is it just me, or is it getting colder?"

"It's not just you." Laura told him, stepping aside to allow him access to the refrigerator and freezer above. "I've noticed it too." She shivered, as though the thought of the temperature dropping was enough to cause such a reaction. "Do you think it has something to do with all the rain?"

Sam shrugged as he shut the refrigerator door and opened the freezer. "It's possible." He told her. "Could be a cold front." It was times like these he wished he had paid more attention to what his dad did for a living. Laura was silent, watching him as he poked around inside the chilly freezer. Finally, Sam glanced over his shoulder at her. "I know it's a little cold but," he turned and showed her what he had taken from the freezer. "Ice cream?"

Laura smiled and nodded in agreement. "Why not." She said, peering at the carton to see what type of ice cream it was. "Mint Chocolate Chip." She read aloud as though Sam hadn't seen the label already. "My favorite."

"Mine too." Sam said, shutting the freezer door and setting the carton on the counter. After several minutes of opening cabinets and cupboards, he managed to find the bowls and placed to beside the ice cream.

After both bowls were filled with the mint ice cream and cartoon returned to the freezer, Sam and Laura took their late night desert to the couch and flopped down on the cushions. A few moments of comfortable silence passed between them, the only sounds being the clinking of the spoons against the side of the bowls and Sam wondered if he had ever been in a more perfect situation. Just being there with Laura was enough to make the hellish plane ride to New York completely worth it.

The silence was broken with Laura laughed quietly to herself. Sam looked in her direction. "What's so funny?" He questioned.

"Nothing." Laura told him, her face lit up for a moment by a jagged flash of lightning and he could see that she was shaking her head. "It just that, if you had told me a week ago that we'd be stuck in New York in the apartment of a guy we barely know because the streets are flooded, eating ice cream, I never would have believed you." She wondered if that was the longest sentence ever to come out of someone's mouth at one time.

Sam smiled as well. "I know what you mean." He said. "It's bizarre."

The silence returned and Laura soon found herself watching Sam out of the corner of her eye; she turned her head slightly to study him in the darkness, to pick out his adorably boyish features as she had done so many times before, only to find him staring back at her. Embarrassed more at being caught then being studied herself, Laura looked away, not noticing that Sam did the same and they both turned their attention to studying the dark patches that laced the walls of the apartment. At that moment, studying the unfamiliar terrain, Laura had never felt more homesick.

Sam cleared his throat, causing Laura to give him her attention once more. "Feeling tired yet?" He questioned and Laura shook her head, her exhaustion had not returned. "Wanna play?" He gestured toward the video game console, which was still out and unattended since the earlier matches and Laura couldn't help but smile. "That is," Sam continued, "if you're up to being beaten."

"Please," Laura scoffed, setting her empty bowl aside and retrieving one of the computers. "I think someone needs to be reminded of what happened earlier."

Sam rolled his eyes and picked up his own controller, turning on the video game system. "I'm not as inexperienced as J.D." He told her. "You're about to see what happens when you underestimate someone."

Laura laughed, amused that Sam's competitive side seemed only to show itself when it came to video games; during the Decathlon, he hadn't been near as interested as herself and Brian, doodling on one of the answer sheets the entire time. But now, that didn't appear to be the case. "We'll just see about that." Laura remarked.

Once Sam and Laura had chosen their characters, the game began; Sam was true to his word, easily dodging the attacks that Laura had used earlier on J.D. The game lasted much longer then the match against Laura and J.D. but she was still surprised at how quickly Sam had managed to toss her video game character out of the ring and deliver the killing blow.

Laura's mouth dropped open, though a smile was already forming on her lips, and she dropped her controller to the ground, accepting her sudden defeat. Sam smiled as well and tossed his controller aside as well, looking over at her. "I told you." He said jokingly, an enormous grin on his face. "I told you I could kick your butt." He pointed his finger at her to accent his words.

"Sore winner." Laura muttered gamely, unable to stop smiling. She pushed him away, batting his hand aside.

Sam didn't seem phased by her brush-off. "What did I tell you?" He grinned, giving her a gentle punch on the arm. Laura rolled her eyes, trying to hide her smile behind her hand. "I guess we know who's the video game master in _this _house."

Laura snatched up her controller quickly. "I don't think so." She said, hitting the button that designated a rematch before Sam could so much bat an eye. Before he could retrieve his own controller, Laura leaned across the couch and picked it off the ground, holding it out of reach. She then proceeded to pummel Sam's character, trying to act as though she weren't blatantly cheating.

"Hey," Sam muttered with false indignation, reaching for his controller. "You don't get to be the video game master by cheating."

Laura grinned at him. "I don't know," she remarked, "it looks that way to me."

Sam leaned across her and snatched up the controller before he even realized what he was doing; it was only after he had recaptured his controller that the fact that he was all but lying across Laura Chapman had sunk in.

For a moment, neither of them moved and it seemed to Laura that she had forgotten how to breath; never in a million years would she have imagined this moment. It seemed as though Sam felt the same way, remaining where he was, so close to the girl that had been in almost all of his waking thoughts for almost a year that their noses were almost touching, unable to look away from her face, his eyes locked with her large, doe-brown ones.

Sam suddenly released his controller, ignoring the sound it made when it clattered against the ground and Laura figured -regrettably- that he was going to sit up and they were both going to pretend like this whole thing had never happened. Instead, he cupped her cheeks with his fingers and pulled her face closer to his so that his lips were against hers.

Sam would never figure out where he had gained the sudden courage to kiss Laura, and he found himself surprised by his actions; Laura was probably going to be disgusted by the whole thing and write him off forever but, at the moment, he didn't really care. He was even more surprised when Laura returned the kiss, dropping her own controller so that her hands could find his, their fingers lacing together.

For the moment, everything was perfect, nothing else mattered and nothing else processed. And Laura wished that moment could last forever, because she liked the feeling she got with Sam, the sensation of falling and not caring when she landed again.

The kiss was finally broken but Sam didn't pull away, staring into Laura's eyes and trying to read the thoughts that swam behind them. Her palms were warm against his, her chest rising and falling rhythmically, a faint smile on her lips. Sam knew that he had never been so happy, never felt so complete.

Before a word could be said or another kiss given, a door opened and shut from down the hallway and the footsteps of the approaching person could be heard. "Hey, you guys playing video games without me?" Brian questioned as he entered the living room, seemingly unmindful of the late hour and the intrusion that he was causing.

Both Sam and Laura pulled away from each other at the same moment, sitting up and turning away from each other and back toward the video game. Laura seemed flustered, perhaps even a little embarrassed at Brian's sudden appearance and attempted to act as though Sam were the farthest thing from her mind.

Though he had known Brian his entire life, Sam had never hated him more then he did at that moment. There should have been so sort of friend signal passing between them to let his friend know to steer clear; now whatever had passed between him and Laura had vanished and Sam was absolutely terrified that he would never get it back again. He tried to catch her eye but she was staring down at the floor.

Brian picked up another controller and flopped down on the couch beside his friend. "I want to play." He informed them, as if it weren't obvious already. "We could do multi player."

Laura stood up suddenly. "No, that's okay." She mumbled breathlessly. "I was just going to bed." Without another word, she disappeared down the hallway and into the master bedroom once more.

Once Laura had gone, Sam turned to look at Brian, who was obviously choosing his own character and hit him across the face with a throw pillow. "Ow." Brian complained, batting the pillow aside before it could make another attack. "What did I do?"

Sam sighed and tossed the pillow to the ground. There weren't words that could describe just what Brian had done.

_So, here's another chapter, sorry it took so long, I started school again (ugh!). But, I'm trying to be better at updating, getting back in the flow of school work and all that comes with it...but anyway, thanks for all the great reviews, you guys don't know how much it means to me. Keep them up, it gets me through the long school days. I hope that _some _writers will update soon (that means you Lilly and Wally!) and give me something else to help get me through those long hours. Anyway, I hope this chapter was good enough to make up for the lack of updates, I hope to update soon. Keep up those reviews!_


	4. The Beginning

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"And on the way down I almost fell right through but I held onto you."

- Ryan Cabrera, _On the Way Down_

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Chapter Four

The Beginning

For a moment, Sam could do nothing but stand at the foot of Laura's bed, forgetting the reason he had come in the first place, and watch the dark haired girl as she slept. Her brunette curls fell down her cheeks, framing her head, which was tucked downward so that her chin was resting against her chest, her hands wrapped tightly around the tangled sheets.

Sam watched her for a moment longer, taken by her simplistic beauty before he sighed, regretting the task at hand. It was almost eight thirty, way past time for them to figure out what they were doing and how to get home; he had been sent into the master bedroom to wake Laura so that she could join in the discussion revolving their plan of action.

When Sam gently rested his hand on her shoulder, Laura smiled faintly but rolled over, putting her back to him, as though she knew that she was about to have to leave dreamland once again. He gave her a gentle shake and whispered her name, shaking again.

Laura's eyes fluttered open and she squinted, disorientated; her eyes scanned the area in front of her and she saw that the only thing familiar to her was Sam standing beside her. Her eyes opened wider and she sat up, her mind rushing to identify her surroundings and put the pieces together; it wasn't very often that she woke in a bedroom she didn't recognize. In fact, it was a very rare occurrence. "Sam?" Laura muttered, looking in his direction. "What's the matter?"

"Nothing." Sam assured her. "I really hate to wake you but Brian and J.D. are in the living room and we're trying to decide how we're going to get home." He explained.

Laura let his words process as all the memories of all the days returned, seeming to shed the dreamlike quality that had been floating around inside her head. They were stuck in New York because the city was flooding and had been forced to stay the night with J.D., a kid they had just met. So that hadn't been a dream after all, as strange as the whole situation seemed.

For a moment, Sam and Laura remained silent, studying one another while listening to the rain beat against the windows. Laura's heart fluttered slightly as she remembered kissing Sam hours earlier, though she briefly wondered if that part _was _a dream; she doubted it, because it was too easy to remember the way his lips had felt against hers and how he had held her against him. However, Sam sure wasn't acting like a guy who had just kissed someone.

"Okay." Laura mumbled finally, after what seemed like a decade to her. Her eyes held Sam's for a minute longer and suddenly she knew that their kiss hadn't been a dream; Sam looked away then, as though embarrassed by the whole situation. Laura looked down as well, feeling her cheeks color slightly; so that sealed the deal, Sam wasn't attracted to her at all. In fact, he was embarrassed of ever having kissed her in the first place. Laura sighed, a wave of undue heartbreak seeming to rush over her; maybe it wasn't heartbreak at all, just regret, regret at having missed her chance with Sam, but either way, it made her want to press her face against her pillow and never look up again. "I'll be out in a minute." She forced herself to tell him instead, hearing the heaviness in her voice.

Sam nodded but didn't raise his eyes; no more words passed between them as he headed out of the bedroom, shutting the door behind him. Laura watched him disappear before sighing again and flopping down on her back, staring up at the ceiling. Between the floods and the complete embarrassment, this trip was turning out to be absolutely _fabulous._

Once the door had been shut once again, leaving Sam alone with his humiliation and he groaned under his breath, leaning against the wall. Laura probably thought he was a total dork, too humiliated to even mention their first kiss, as though it had never happened. It wasn't as though he wished it had never happened, that was the exact opposite of how he felt: that kiss had been the best thing that ever happened to him but how was he supposed to explain that to Laura? That would involve admitting how much he cared for her and why he had braved the turbulence in the first place, and what could would that do? None.

Because Laura hadn't mentioned the kiss either. And that had sent a clear enough message: at least one of them had wished that last night have never happened. Sam sighed again and knocked his head against the wall; how could have been such a dork, just kissing her like that? When they got back to school, Laura was probably going to be perfectly fine with pretending like nothing had happened.

Sam banged his head again. What. An. Idiot.

The bedroom door opened and Laura poked her head out. "Sam? What's going on?" She questioned, looking confused. "What's that banging?"

Sam cleared his throat and straightened his posture. "Nothing." He told her. "I mean, I didn't hear anything."

Laura didn't look quite convinced but she disappeared back into the bedroom, shutting the door once again. Feeling his cheeks burning with embarrassment, Sam headed back down the hallway. _Idiot._

_

* * *

_

Laura appeared moments later, wearing the same wrinkled jeans that she had slept in but she had replaced her over-sized tee-shirt with a powder-blue turtle neck. Another reminder that the temperature had dropped even more. 

On the couch, Brian looked as though he were still trying to wake up as he stirred his soggy cornflakes around his cereal bowl, watching the exploits of the overly large family in a re-run of _Full House._ J.D. was pacing behind the couch, talking on a cell phone and looking frustrated, his brow knotted.

No one spoke as Laura sat on the couch next to Brian, fishing around the cushions for the remote and switched the channel away from the latest family crisis and to the Fox News Channel. Brian was still too asleep to protest and her channel surfing when unchallenged; Laura shivered and wished that she had an extra layer of clothing. Or that someone would turn up the heat.

Abandoning his pursuit for breakfast, Sam drug a chair from the dining room into the living room and sat down behind the couch, peering past Laura's curly tresses and at the television screen. J.D. continued to pace around the room, ignoring the newscaster on television as he spoke to Victor, his driver.

"As of six this morning, all subway and train stations have been shut down." The female news-reporter was explaining into the camera. "And, on top of the president's ban on all flights until further notice, it appears that it is virtually impossible to get anywhere in the city."

Laura sighed and looked over her shoulder at Sam, who was watching the screen intently. When he noticed her looking, Sam gave her his full attention, easily reading the worry in her eyes. "Don't worry," he assured her as best he could, "there's got to be some way to get home."

Though she didn't seem convinced, Laura smiled faintly and turned around again, focusing her gaze on the television. Behind the female newscaster was what had once been Grand Central Station, though it looked less like a building and more like an indoor swimming poor.

As the woman continued to give her report, pretending to be oblivious of the chaos behind her, people waded through waist-high water, tugging along briefcases and bags. Some people even had their young children on their shoulders, trying to flee the building before the water level grew even higher.

J.D. finally got off the phone, sighing and shutting his eyes for a brief moment, attempting to collect herself. "I've got to get out of here and go pick up my little brother so-" He paused, seeing that no one attention was on him. "Guys?"

"What?" Brian questioned off-handedly, watching the scene unfold before him. He had never seen anything like it before, never would have imagined that the great city of New York would begin to flood.

"Look, Victor's stuck in traffic over on Fifth Avenue and I've got to go pick up my brother." J.D. continued.

Laura looked at him for a moment. "Where is he?" She asked, doubting that J.D. would be able to get anywhere with conditions being the way that they were.

"In a boarding school in Philadelphia." J.D. seemed exhausted with dealing with their interruptions. "Do you guys want a ride to the train station?"

Brian sighed, studying the television before him. "Not anymore." He mumbled, dejected, worry beginning to creep into his mind. What if they couldn't get out of the city? What if things were going to get worse?

J.D. was about to ask them what they intended to do when the same familiar, overly chipper ringing that had interrupted their thoughts the day before, filled the living room. Laura made a dive for her cell phone, as though desperate for some sort of contact from back home. Sam was relieved as well; at least they could still get in touch with their families.

"Hi Mom." Laura said, covering her free ear with her hand, trying to block out the sounds around her. "Yeah I...hang on I can't hear you...Mom?" She got off the couch, looking exasperated, stalking around the room much like J.D. had down earlier, trying to find a clear signal. "Hang on, I'm going outside...no, Mom, hang on." Without a word to her companions, Laura headed out the front door, toward the roof access door.

Sam thought about calling after her, reminding her of the rain pouring from the sky, but Laura had disappeared before he could even open his mouth. J.D. was watching her as well, and once again Sam was filled with the urge to tell him to keep his eyes to himself; Laura wasn't around now, after all, so maybe a little talk wouldn't hurt...

But before either of them could say a word to each other, Brian spoke up, turning to face his friends. "Guys," he said, seeming to sense some sort of confrontation about to spring up, "we need to figure out what to do. How are we going to get home?"

There was silence as Brian's question really set in; Sam's brow knitted and he buried his face in his hands, as though the answer lay somewhere in the darkness. He knew that the answer to his friend's question was a simple one: they weren't going to get home. It was right there, staring him in the face and he refused to believe it.

The train stations were closed, the streets were flooded, air traffic had grinded to a flight and they were thousands of miles away from home. His mom and dad were high and dry, not stranded in an apartment building and, for the first time in his life, Sam knew this his parents couldn't help him.

"Look," J.D.'s words sliced through the despair running through Sam's head. "I have to go. I have to get my brother." Sam and Brian looked at him, silently, as though waiting the judge's final verdict. "You guys can stay here if you want, there's no reason for us all to go down to Philly."

Sam sighed, regarding J.D. closely. "You're sure?" He questioned. "You'd let us stay here?"

J.D. nodded. "Sure, you guys can't get home yet so you might as well hang out here until this water clears up."

Brian smiled slightly. "That'd be great, J.D., I mean...really...great." For the first time in his life, he couldn't find the words to express what he wanted to say. No facts, no statistics would come in handy now, only unexpressed gratitude.

J.D. smiled as well, seeming to understand Brian's stuttered words. "No problem." He assured them. "Just don't trash the place while I'm gone, my dad would have a fit." He grinned.

Sam looked at him, realizing that J.D. wasn't such a bad guy after all.

It wasn't long after J.D. had left the dry sanctuary of his apartment that the electricity began to flicker. At first, it was hardly noticeable, and Sam didn't look away from his post by the window, staring out at the rapidly flooding streets below. Brian was still sitting on the couch, watching the news, which was slowly getting worse; the signal was fuzzy, going in and out, but the newscasters words were clear: it was going to get bad.

However, when the lights flickered again, longer this time, Sam turned away from the window and looked at his friend, who had finally taken his gaze away from the television. "You don't think the power's going to go out?" Sam questioned.

Brian didn't answer, for which Sam was grateful for; neither of them wanted to admit what would happen if they lost the electricity, the fear that would come with being plunged into complete darkness. Not to mention the feeling of isolation that would follow after losing the reports from the television.

Lightning snapped across the sky, leaving a jagged tail in its wake and Sam wished that Laura would come down from the roof. Just how long could you talk to your mother anyway? Not that he wouldn't love to talk to his mother right then, but still, it wasn't safe for her to be up there in weather like this.

Seconds after the lightning, thunder followed, shaking the windows and drowning out the words of the reporter on the screen. The man was looking up at the sky, looking more and more nervous with every passing second, urging his viewers to stay inside.

Sam glanced out the window once more and saw that it didn't appear that many people were taking heed to the reporter's words. People by the hundreds were wading through the waters that had clogged the streets of New York City unlike any traffic jam ever could. Several people still held tattered umbrellas, even though they were no longer doing any good and he spotted a handful of hot dog vendors shoving their carts through the water.

The lights flickered again and the room remained dark for nearly a full minute. Brian tensed on the couch, his gaze focused on the black television screen as though he were afraid to look away. Sam saw that the street lights had also gone out, as had most of the lights shining through the other windows of the apartments facing this building.

"I'm going to find a radio." Sam mumbled as the lights returned, so suddenly that he had to squint. He wasn't going to take the chance, there was no way that they could be without some form of information, they needed to know what was going on outside.

Sam went into J.D.'s bedroom first, figuring that he was more likely to find a battery-powered radio in here then anywhere else. However, J.D.'s massive stereo didn't have any batteries, running on through the cord in the wall, and ten minutes of rummaging turned up nothing.

The master bedroom yielded no results and Sam stood, for a moment, in the middle of the room, trying to figure out what to do; no one used battery powered radios anymore. The lights flickered once more and Sam groaned, growing more and more nervous with each passing second, sure that this time would be the final time.

When the lights returned again, Sam found himself staring at Laura's black suitcase, still damp in some places, nearly packed and zipped, resting at the foot of the bed. He debating going through her bag, even though he was certain that she'd had a Walkman with her earlier and then figured Laura would understand.

Sam knelt beside the bag and unzipped the largest compartment; resting on top of several neatly folded outfits were Laura's round-trip plane ticket, the souvenir I love New York hat he had bought her in an airport gift shop and a picture he barely even remembered being taken. The photo was of Laura and himself, sitting on the steps outside Brian's house, both of them posing for the camera. Brian had insisted on taking the picture before his annual family trip to South Carolina, claiming that he needed a photo of his best friends. Sam remembered teasing him about that, saying that if he needed a picture to remind him of his friends while he was away for a week, then maybe they weren't really friends at all. But Brian had insisted and the picture had been taken.

And clearly, Laura had managed to talk Brian into giving her that picture. Though, at first glance there was nothing particularly special about the picture, no reason for her to want it; it was just himself and Laura, sitting on brick steps, posing for the camera. Laura had been pulling her hair away from her face when the picture was taken, a perfect picture smile on her face, showing the dimples in her cheeks. Sam wasn't at all surprised to find his image looking over at her instead of the camera, though Laura didn't appear to notice. It was just a picture, nothing special.

And yet, Sam was so surprised by finding the photo in Laura's bag that he completely missed the Walkman right next to it, staring at the picture as though there was some secret hidden beneath it. Why did Laura have a picture of them together in her suitcase? It just didn't seem to make any sense...unless...

The lights flickered again, tearing thoughts of him and Laura together out of Sam's head and replacing them with thoughts of finding a radio. Easily he spotted the Walkman in her suitcase and snatched it up, checking to make sure that there were indeed batteries inside, though he was certain there would be.

Sam zipped up Laura's suitcase and stood, heading out of the room with the radio in hand; he clicked it on, turning up the volume and moving the tuner in hopes of finding something other then static.

Brain was still sitting on the couch, though he had changed the station to one that wasn't local, and Sam was worried to see that Laura had yet to return. This storm was getting worse and she couldn't stay up there for much longer.

"....We are getting reports that (static) a...." Sam stopped tuning the radio, turning up the volume even more in hopes of hearing what the frightened newscaster was saying. He looked over at Brian and commanded, "Turn the T.V. off" before giving his full attention to the tiny radio speaker.

"I repeat," the man was saying, "a wall of water is heading toward New York City. An actual tidal wave, heading for New York."

Sam and Brian looked at each other, all other words broadcasted by the radio completely blocked out. Sam didn't even realize he was holding his breath until he exhaled, trying to release some of the fear that was tying his stomach into knots. Surely there couldn't really be a tidal wave in New York, it just seemed impossible.

Brian hopped off the couch, heading for the window, at the same time Sam set the Walkman aside and rushed in that direction. They both pressed their faces against the glass, attempting to peer through the fog, afraid to see if there was any truth behind the words on the radio.

What Sam saw turned his entire body cold; below them, people were fleeing, running as fast as they could away from an unseen antagonist, screaming and shoving each other as they tried to escape the massive giant that Sam saw next. The ripping wave pounding through the city blocks looked like something that belonged in a movie, created by some director's imagination that had no business being real.

The wave was, at least Sam figured, thirty feet high, cresting easily over the tops of the buildings as it swallowed everything in its path. Cars were shoved against each other seconds before disappearing beneath the surf and people vanished just as easily. But Sam just couldn't get over the height of the wave; was it even possible for something to be that high? High enough to drench the tops of buildings and-

Laura! The moment that Sam's brain screamed the name of the girl he loved, he realized that he had never felt a fear so complete before. His heart almost broke that second, freezing at the thought of Laura being swallowed by the tidal wave just as easily as the nameless taxi cabs on the street. It just wasn't right, it just couldn't happen.

Without another word, another thought, Sam turned away from the window and rushed toward the door of the apartment. "Sam!" Brian shouted after him, his words falling on deaf ears. "What are you doing?" He thought about going after his friend but knew it was no use; whatever Sam had in mind, he would not be swayed.

Leaving the apartment door open, Sam tore up the stairs which led to the roof. The hallway in front of him was completely dark but he didn't falter, his fingers following the chilly metal guard-rail along the side of the wall. The stairs ascending, bringing him higher into the hallway and closer to Laura.

The only thought running through his mind was the constant prayer that he wasn't too late, that Laura was all right. Sam didn't realize he had reached the door until he ran into it with enough force to leave him seeing stars, which he quickly shook away, groping for the door handle.

Sam flung open the door and rushed onto the roof, slipping on the wet gravel, his eyes scanning for Laura. He saw her as he regained his footing, standing with her back to him and one hand still over one ear, shouting into her cell phone, desperate to make her voice heard. "Mom?" She was saying. "Are you there? Mom?"

"Laura!" Sam shouted as he hurried toward her, suddenly very away from the pounding water just yards away from him. Laura turned to face him as he reached her, grabbing her arm and pulling her back toward the stairwell. "Come on!"

"What?" Laura looked confused, staring into his frightened face and feeling her own heart begin to beat faster. "What's-" Then she saw it, the towering monstrosity of a wave, seemingly just feet away from where she stood. "Oh." She murmured weakly, her mouth dropping open and her heart slamming in her chest. Laura wasn't at all surprised to find that she couldn't move, couldn't process the simple act of running away; she had never been more scared in her entire life.

Sam pulled Laura toward the hallway that led to the relative safety of the apartment complex. His tug pulled her out of her terrified stupor and she followed him across the roof and toward the hallway, her hand holding his tightly.

The massive wave slammed into the building just as Sam and Laura ducked inside the stairwell, shaking the entire complex and nearly knocking them off their feet. Laura cried out, holding tighter to Sam as he pressed him against the wall, slipping into a sitting position and pulling Laura down beside him. She held onto him tightly, burying her face in his chest, and Sam wrapped his arms around her, whispering soothing words that couldn't be heard over the pounding of the water.

For what seemed like hours, the building shivered, buckling beneath the weight of the wave, the windows of the lower levels shattering and allowing the water to seep inside. As she shook in Sam's arms, Laura wondered if this was what it was like to be in an earthquake, the only sound pounding in her ears being the sound of the quivering building.

Water rushed into the stairwell, drenching Sam and Laura within seconds as it cascaded down the stairs. Sam couldn't but wonder, for a brief second, if it was possible for them to drown.

As suddenly as it started, the wave seemed to subside, leaving the apartment complex in its wake as it surged on, destroying other buildings. Then there was nothing but silence.

_So, that was my little attempt at recreating one of my favorite scenes from the movie, the Laura rescue. I know it's not as good as it was in the movie, but I hope it's good enough. Once again, sorry for the lack of updates, school is totally sucking so far and I'm struggling to finish another story so that I can give my time entirely to this one. Until I create another long "DAT" fic that is... Anyway, thanks so much for the great reviews, as always much love to Lilly and Wally and Punkin (that's your new name, okay) and everyone else that reviewed. So, keep up those reviews, let me know what you think! Thanks so much! _


	5. Atlantis

* * *

"Well I couldn't tell you why she felt that way; she felt it, everyday. But I couldn't help her; I just watched her make the same mistakes again."

Avril Lavigne, _Nobody's Home_

* * *

Chapter Five

Atlantis

In the silence following the crush of the wave, Sam could hear nothing other then his hurried breathing and his pounding heart. There weren't the usual sounds of New York City life, there were no blaring car horns or the mingle of a thousand different voices. There was...nothing.

Laura remained pressed against him, her arms wrapped tightly around Sam's waist as though she was still afraid that she would be swept away. She was shaking and Sam tightened his grip around her almost unconsciously, desperate to make her feel safe again.

Slowly, Sam opened his eyes and peered at his surroundings, as though he were afraid of what he might see. But, nothing appeared to have changed, the building was still standing and the hallway they had taken refuge in was still in one piece. Water trickled slowly down the stairs, proof that the horrible wave hadn't been a nightmare after all.

Sam looked down at Laura, who had yet to move, keeping her face buried against his chest; her hair was damp, sticking against her cheeks from the rain and spray from the water and her eyes were squeezed shut tightly. At that moment, Sam wanted nothing more then to protect her from anything else that might ever threaten her.

"Hey," Sam said gently, brushing her sticky hair away from her face, "Are you okay?"

Laura raised her head slowly, as though afraid of what she would see when she opened her eyes and Sam offered her a faint smile. "What happened, Sam?" She questioned, unwilling to believe that a towering tidal wave had really engulfed New York City. It was too impossible to be true, it went against everything she had ever been taught, everything she had learned from her endless text books.

Sam let out a long sigh. "That's a good question." He mumbled and slowly stood up, helping Laura up with him. The fact that she still gripped his hand tightly, unwilling to let him go, didn't escape his attention but Sam refused to let himself dwell on it; just because she was holding his hand didn't mean anything at all and now wasn't the time to try and figure out her true feelings.

Sam started toward the top of the stairs, heading for the roof once more but Laura held his hand tightly, stopping him before he got too far. "Where are you going?" She questioned with concern. "You can't go back up there."

"I think the wave's gone." Sam told her, trying assure himself as well. "I'm just going to take a look. You can stay here if you want." He regretfully pulled his hand free from Laura's and turned away from her, heading up the stairs.

Within seconds, Laura was beside him again, and they went up the stairs together and onto the roof. The rain had turned into a slight drizzle now, making everything seem as though it were shrouded in fog and Laura shivered, feeling goose-bumps cover her arms. All ready she knew that something wasn't right, that when they were going to look over the edge of the roof New York City wasn't what they were going to see.

Sam went to the edge of the roof and peered down, drawing in a deep breath, his mouth dropping open and his eyes growing wide. Water lapped the edge of the building, only a few yards down, cresting against the windows of what he would guess was the twentieth story. Laura stood beside him, too shocked to say anything, staring down at the water.

When Laura finally found her voice, all she could mumble was, "Wow." There didn't seem to be anything else to say, no other words to express just what they were looking down upon.

Sam's gaze traveled down what once had been the streets of a grand city, seeing nothing but shivering water and the very tops of street-lights, barely rising over the water. Several buildings had been engulfed by the wave, hidden forever beneath the water and once proud buildings now appeared to be little more then five feet in height. Sam couldn't help but feel as though he were looking at the legendary city of Atlantis, life buried beneath water, with two lone survivors left to take in the damage.

Laura seemed to be thinking the same thing because she turned to him and asked, "Do you think anyone else is alive?" Her eyes searched Sam's, as though trying to figure out if the words he was about to say would be the truth.

Sam looked away, back toward the water. "I don't know." He answered truthfully. "I'm sure that someone must have survived...in the buildings, maybe."

Laura watched him for a moment longer, before returning her gaze to the steadily calming waters below her, as though searching for some sign of life beneath them. A silence settled between them, both of them lost in their own thoughts, chilled by what they were seeing.

Therefore, when the roof access door banged open once more, slamming against the wall, both Sam and Laura jumped in surprise, their reactions almost comical. Sam turned to see Brian rushing across the roof toward them, the concerned look on his face slowly being replaced by one of relief. "Thank God." He gushed when he reached his friends. "I thought you two were dead." Brian looked as though he wanted to envelop his friends in a bear-hug but thought better of it.

"We're all right." Sam said, though that much was obvious. "Just barely." He mumbled this last part, unwilling to think about what would have happened if he hadn't reached Laura in time, or if he and Laura hadn't made it to the safety of the stairwell before the wave had reached the building.

Brian peered past Sam and out at the newly created ocean that stretched below them; his eyes went wide and he stared in silence. Finally, he managed to pull his gaze away and look at Sam and Laura. "Did that really just happen? Is New York really beneath all that water?"

Sam and Laura didn't answer, an answer wasn't necessary. By a silent agreement, they turned away from the silenced city and headed back for the relative safety of J.D.'s apartment, where they could begin to make sense of things.

* * *

Laura sat on the couch, wrapping an Afghan around her shoulders, shivering; she felt as though she was never going to be warm again, with the temperature continuing to drop and most of her clothes already damp from the previous day. Sam sat down beside her and offered her a comforting smile, which Laura found easy to return. What was not easy, however, was resisting the urge to move closer to Sam and snuggle beside him, fighting away the chill and her growing fear.

Brian was pacing around the living room, shrouded in shadows and mumbling to himself. When the tidal wave had struck, the electrical wires had snapped and fallen, lost beneath the water, leaving the apartment in a state of darkness.

Watching Brian pace made Laura nervous and she stood suddenly, keeping the blanket wrapped around her shoulders, heading for the kitchen to gather up the candles she had found the day before. Sam stood up as well, and picked up the phone on the coffee table, decided to see if it worked just for the sake of doing something.

"Do you think anyone else got to safety?" Brain was saying as he paced. "What do you think happened to all those people down there? To J.D.?"

It was a question that had been going through Sam's head ever since he had saved Laura but he still didn't have an answer for his friend. All they could do was hope that their new friend had made it to safety before the tidal wave found him.

Laura re-emerged from the kitchen, holding a burning candle in one hand and several others pressed against her chest. She set the light candle on the coffee table and dropped the others down beside it, looking over at Sam. "Do the phones work?" She asked, dreading his answer.

Sam shook his head as he put the phone back on the cradle. "No, the phone lines must have been knocked down during the wave." He sighed. There was no way for them to get in touch with their parents, no way to let them know that they were all right, stranded but all right.

For a moment, Laura looked at him, as though reading his thoughts and seeing the utter hopelessness of their situation. She looked away and lit the other candles, bringing a little more light into the dark room, but making the room seem all the more eerie, with the flickering shadows and absolute silence.

Without a word, Laura retrieved one of the candles and left the living room, heading down the hallway toward the bedroom she had adopted as her own. Sam watched her go, remaining where he was for little more then a minute before going after her. Brian raised an eyebrow but didn't say anything and Sam acted as though he hadn't seen his friend's reaction.

Laura hadn't shut the door and Sam found her sitting on her bed, staring ahead a nothing, her face lost in the shadows. "Hey, Laura, are you all right?" Sam questioned from his spot by the door, not wanting to intrude.

"Yeah." Laura answered, looking over at him. "I'm fine." She smiled faintly at him. "Thanks for coming back for me, that was really brave."

Sam smiled as well and waved his hand dismissively. "No problem." He said, entering the room. "You sure you're all right?"

Laura nodded. "I'm just worried about what's going to happen to us." She confessed, looking away from him again. "What are we going to do?" She wanted him to have an answer for her, to assure her that everything was going to be all right, but she knew that if he did, he would be lying.

Sam was silent, sitting down on the edge of the bed and looking at Laura through the darkness. "I don't know." He said finally. "I'm sure we'll think of something, someway to get in touch with our parents."

Laura sighed. "I'm not sure that'll help matters too much." She mumbled. "My mother seems more willing to believe that this whole thing is my fault; she wants me home now and can't seem to understand why I can't get there." She sighed again. "She'll really love this."

Sam raised an eyebrow. "Your mom sounds like a really great lady." He remarked, sarcastically.

Laura gave him her attention once more. "She just doesn't like things she can't control, she needs to feel in control all the time." She told him. "She got that way when my father left."

"When did your father leave?" Sam questioned before he could think better of it, worrying that he was intruding upon Laura's private life. If she didn't want to answer him, he wouldn't be offended and he was about to tell her that went spoke again.

"When I was six." Laura answered. She looked down at her feet, staring at anything to avert her eyes from Sam's, though she doubted that he could see her tears in the darkness. "Right after my little sister was born."

Sam wanted to say something to comfort her, something meaningful to show Laura just how much he cared for her, but all he could come up with was, "I'm sorry." Even though the words were genuine, he couldn't help but feel that they were somehow hollow.

"It's fine, I've gotten used to it." Laura said, trying with some difficulty to make light of the situation. "It's hardly the most important thing right now." She pointed out.

Sam was about to argue but he stopped himself once he realized that Laura didn't want him to argue, wanted to push those thoughts from her head and whatever tangled emotions from her heart. So, he just forced himself to agree with her, a sigh escaping his lips. "If you ever want to talk-" Sam started but Laura cut him off before he could finish his offer.

"I'm fine Sam." She interrupted quickly. "It's not big deal, I'm fine."

Sam looked at Laura, seeing her face through the shadows that surrounded it and saw that her eyes were filling with tears. As though sensing his stare, Laura turned away from him so that he could no longer see her face, forcing herself to blink away the tears that had come, unbidden. How could Sam do this to her so easily? Tear down the armor she had spent years building and remind her what it was like to cry over her father? Though she knew his intentions were good and his concern was real, Laura still found herself wishing that Sam would shut up and leave her alone; this wasn't what she had planned on. This was just another way for her to get hurt.

"Laura," Sam began again, attempting to force her to turn back toward him. Laura, however, remained where she was, keeping her back to him, unwilling to see the concern in his face. He touched her shoulder gently. "I know that-"

Laura pulled away from him so suddenly that Sam wasn't sure how to react. He stared at her, silent, no longer sure of what to say.

For a moment, Laura hated herself for turning away from Sam like that, for shunning away his concern, his apparent love for her. She hated herself for forcing herself to be the constant martyr, ignoring the way she felt just to keep herself from getting hurt again.

The uncomfortable silence didn't last much longer because Brian came hurrying down the hallway, calling his friend's names. "You guys have to come look at this." He said once he had reached the bedroom, gesturing behind him. "You're never going to believe it."

For a moment, the conversation that had passed between Sam and Laura was forgotten, replaced instead by curiosity. Together, they left the room and followed Brian into the living room, where they found him standing by the window.

Outside, a huge Russian barge was slowly making its way down the water-logged street, its wide sides scrapping against the tops of buildings and breaking out glass windows. The barge was traveling at a painfully slow pace, bumping along the sunken taxi cabs and buses that lurked beneath the water.

Laura's eyes went wide as she watched the ship head in their direction, almost unwilling to believe her eyes. Beside her, Sam mumbled, "Oh my God," in a breathless whisper.

If a huge barge had managed to get through the narrow streets of New York without scraping bottom, the water must have been deeper then they first figured, Laura decided suddenly. Much deeper.

That made their chances of getting out of the city much slimmer.

So, here's a new chapter, finally; I know this one wasn't very good but I'm having some writer's block that I'm forcing myself to muddle through. The good news is that I finished my other story so I can devote all my attention to do this -until I start another story that is. All the reviews have been so fabulous, you guys really brighten my day. To Wally, thanks for keeping me on my toes, where would I be without you to keep my scientific facts in check? To Punkin: here's another chapter, stop harassing me now. Just kidding. And, of course, to the ever wonderful Lilly, who needs a nickname too, you'd better update that wonderful Sam and Laura story of yours. Don't just leave me hanging like that, come on. And by the way, how old is Tessa? Do you think I could borrow her for a story of mine? Thanks again for all the great reviews, I love you all ;)


	6. The Story of a Girl

* * *

"Come to me now and lay your hands over me. Even if it's a lie, say it will be all right and I shall believe." 

- Sheryl Crow, _"I Shall Believe"_

_

* * *

_

Chapter Six

The Story of a Girl

Laura sat alone on the couch, studying her reflection in the blank screen of the flat screen television directly in front of her. She looked like such a different person at that moment, an extra four inches added to her shoulders because of the trio of blankets she wrapped around them, but she could still see herself shivering beneath the covers. And with her once thick curls now wet and stringy, sticking her to her pale skin, she really played the part of a lost girl, suddenly forgotten by the world and on her own.

But she wasn't alone, as much she as wanted to make it so. Behind her own reflection, Laura could see Brian pacing back and forth across the living room, ringing his hands nervously. And out of the corner of her eye, she could see Sam sitting by the window, peering out silently, while his fingers blindly tuned a small Walkman in his hands.

So far, Sam had found nothing but static and was extending his search for a news report outside of the local stations. Laura looked over at him and noticed that the radio in his hands looked awfully familiar. "Hey," she said when she placed the device, "that's mine."

Sam didn't look away from the window. "Yeah, I didn't think you'd mind." He told her, almost coldly, keeping his back to her.

Laura sighed, almost inaudibly and looked away from him, her shoulders slumping as she attempted to bury herself deeper into her cave of blankets. She just wanted to hide her face in there forever and not once remember how she had acted like an idiot, pushing away the one person that probably really cared for her. She didn't want to remember how she had undeniably hurt that person.

_Just look at me, _Laura wanted to say to Sam, _just look at me and let me apologize. Just ask and I'll tell you everything. Please look at me and see that I love you. _But she could never say those things aloud.

And, the frightening thing was, that she wasn't even quite sure she wanted to speak out loud, to open herself up and give Sam the chance to hurt her. She had learned from her mother -and from her own experiences- that all people ever did was hurt you and if you let yourself be hurt, then there was no one to blame but yourself.

But Laura didn't expect Sam to understand the lesson that had been drilled into her mind ever since her father had left years ago. Sam had never had anything taken from him; he had the love of his parents, whether they lived together or not, and he had her heart, though that probably wasn't something he was aware of. She could make him understand everything...if he'd only ask. But she had spent her life wishing for things that would never happen and there was no way to make him understand what he didn't want to hear.

And so Sam remained with his back to her, tuning the Walkman in an attempt to find a station that was anything but static. Laura remained with her face buried against the fabric of the quilt around her shoulders, listening to the sound of the ever present rain beating against the window.

Sam finally stopped rolling the tuner when he reached a station that was audible through the static. Instead of hearing a news report, however, the sound that came through the speakers was an old Jewel song, something that Laura couldn't understand. With New York City all but under water and it seemed hard to believe that anyone would be interested in hearing about Jewel's foolish games.

"This is stupid." Brian said so suddenly that both Sam and Laura turned to him in surprise. "Why aren't there news reports? What's going on out there?"

There was no answer to his question. They could do nothing but wait.

* * *

When Lucy Hall finally met her ex-husband in the crowded lobby of the NOAA building, she threw her arms around his shoulders and pressed herself close against him. Jack Hall was so shocked by her actions that he remained motionless, his arms limp at his sides. He felt as though he should do something, even pat his ex-wife on the back, but he remained still.

Lucy finally released Jack and looked at him with pure sorrow in her eyes. "I've been trying to reach Sam." She told him, her voice wavering. "What's happening Jack?"

It seemed like it had been decades ago that they had learned of the massive tidal wave that had struck New York city but Jack realized that it had been little over half an hour. It seemed impossible to believe that, even with all the other weather anomalies striking the globe that an entire city could now be buried beneath water. It was even more impossible to believe that his only son had been in that city.

"I don't know." Jack said truthfully, answering Lucy's question. "We're trying to figure out what caused the wave but so far..." he shrugged helplessly, "nothing."

Lucy stared at him. "What about Sam?" She questioned, almost fearfully. "Have you heard from him?"

Jack wished that he had a better answer for her but, sadly, all he could do was shake his head. This was clearly not the answer Lucy wanted for she choked back a cry and pressed her fingers to her mouth, her eyes welling with tears. "Why not?" Her words were little above a whisper. "Why hasn't he called?"

"The phone lines have probably been damaged in the wave." Jack answered promptly. "He probably can't find a phone that works."

Lucy looked at him, almost skeptically. "A cell phone?" She suggested, though she didn't want Jack to answer, didn't want him to tell her that her son hadn't called because he couldn't, because he hadn't escaped the tidal wave.

"The towers were probably damaged too." Jack answered, resting his hands on his ex-wife's shoulders. "When Sam can get to a phone, he'll call us."

Lucy's chin wavered as she attempted to hold back the tears that were already rolling down her cheeks. "Our son, Jack. He's out there all alone. Our baby."

Jack pulled her against him then, wrapping his arms tightly around Lucy's waist and pressing her face against his chest. Lucy dried her cheeks on his shirt, though there were plenty more tears to wet them again and she held Jack tightly. It had been years since she had looked to him as a source of strength but, right now, he was all she had and she wasn't strong enough for herself anymore.

"Sam's a strong boy." Jack whispered comfortingly as he stroked Lucy's short black locks. "He'll come back to us."

Lucy didn't say anything in response to his words. There was nothing she could say; she could only hope.

* * *

Robert Coleman had lived in New York his entire forty-five years and not once had he seen something even close to what he was seeing now. Staring out his nineteenth floor window, he found himself staring back at his own confused reflection instead of down at the usually clogged streets of the city. There were no cars to be seen then, just water; lots and lots of water.

At the moment, he couldn't even get his mind around just what had happened. One minute he had been speaking to his overly annoying, soon to be ex-wife, but the phone had gone dead and the lights had gone out. And now he was looking at what had once been New York City, and which was now nothing but a giant body of water.

It just made no sense, Coleman decided, continuing to stare down into the water as though some great secret lay beneath the waves. But if there was a secret hidden down there somewhere, or any answers, then he sure couldn't see them.

* * *

Michelle Chapman was pacing around her small kitchen in a huff, as she always seemed to do when she upset about one thing or another, when her youngest daughter came rushing up to her so fast she nearly slipped on the tile floor. Tessa Chapman caught herself on one of the kitchen chairs and righted herself, not pausing in her hurried rush to her mother.

"Mom." Tessa breathed when she clasped her mother's arms. "You have to come watch the news." She tugged her mother toward the living room. "Right _now_." For ten-years-old, she could often be quite whiny and persistent.

Since there was nothing else to do and pacing around a kitchen wasn't a great plan of action, Michelle followed her youngest child into the living room, where the television was on. It wasn't a common occurrence for Tessa to watch the news on her own free will, that was mainly Laura's area, but Michelle soon saw that the news report had interrupted whatever her daughter had been watching before.

Tessa turned to face her mother. "There's a flood in New York." She informed the woman. "Isn't that where Laura is?" She looked at Michelle with the worried eyes of a child missing her sister.

Michelle ignored her daughter's question and focused her attention on the television in front of her; a local news anchor was standing in front of the NOAA, which was a mad-house from what she could tell. He was informing his "loyal viewers", that, while reports were scattered, it appeared that New York City had been hit by a massive tidal wave. The station had yet to reach any affiliates in the submerged city but they would keep viewers updated.

"Mom?" Tessa's voice jerked Michelle's attention away from the television. "Is Laura all right?"

Michelle sighed, running her fingers through her hair. She could not deal with this right now; on top of everything else, she could not deal with her eldest daughter in a science fiction situation thousands of miles away. Ignoring Tessa's question, she whirled away and stalked back toward the kitchen; at least there she could begin to get some thinking done.

* * *

With the onset of night came a new round of questions that filled Sam's mind, leaving a developing pit clawing at his stomach and his throat growing dry with worry. In the hours that he had remained sentry beside the window, peering down at the water-logged city in the dwindling light, it became clear that help was not coming.

That assumption was further fueled by the news reports that were slowly pouring out of the tiny speaker of the Walkman that Brian hadn't set down in hours. On top of a tidal wave in New York, the rest of the world was being struck by disasters as well, the details of which still managed to baffle Sam. The day following the set of tornados that had struck Los Angeles, the city had been ravaged by a earthquake that was nearly off the rictor scale, all but tearing the entire state into pieces. Florida had been almost destroyed by the massive hurricane that was still pounding away at the coast, flooding the state as far inland as Orlando. Australia and Japan alike had been pummeled by typhoons, which had left death-counts well into the thousands and very little land mass left above sea level. Almost all of Europe was a solid ice cube, buried beneath over fifteen feet of snow.

As the scattered reports came in through the Walkman, Sam knew that they all boiled down to one thing: no help was coming. With the rest of the world in turmoil, it was highly unlikely that the United States Government was going to send a surely hopeless rescue mission to New York. Sam didn't even know if there was anyone else left alive in the state, so it was even less likely that the government would know. They were dealing with the rest of the country that wasn't under water and he couldn't help but feel abandoned.

Brian had given up his pacing hours ago and was now sitting in a large arm chair toward the back of the living room, hidden in shadows, with the radio in his hands. He was holding it as though it was their last link to humanity, of ever being rescued from the apartment. Sam didn't even want to think about what would happen when the batteries finally ran out, or what would happen when they ran out of the candles, of food...

Sam turned away from the window, for it was too dark to see anything anymore anyway, and gazed around the living room. Less then an hour ago, they had decided to blow out more then half of the candles Laura had found in the kitchen in hopes of conserving them for later; however, that decision had plunged most of the apartment into blackness. He could just barely see Brian, who appeared to be almost hiding in the back of the room, and Laura, who hadn't moved from her spot on the couch in hours. He watched her for a moment, trying to see her past the heap of blankets she had wrapped around herself but Laura was well hidden. She hadn't spoken in hours and Sam wished he could say something to her, to apologize for the cold-shoulder he'd been giving her.

So suddenly that Sam wondered if she hadn't received some sort of silent signal, Laura stood up, the quilts dropping from her shoulders onto the couch. Without a word to either of her companions, she headed out of the living room and down the hallway toward her bedroom, taking one of the candles with her as she went.

Sam watched her, once again hating himself for not being able to open his mouth and speak. He didn't know why Laura had turned away from him when he had attempted to comfort her, he couldn't even begin to understand but he knew that if she'd let him, he'd spend hours uncovering her every secret.

"You can't blame her, Sam." Brian said suddenly from his dark corner of the apartment, causing his friend to look in his direction.

Sam picked Brian out of the shadows. "What are you talking about?" He questioned. "Blame her?"

Brian nodded. "Laura." He said, almost as though clarifying just who they were talking about. "Just because she doesn't want to talk doesn't mean you have to ignore her."

Sam regarded him quizzically. "I have no idea what you're talking about." He said, though, in truth, he thought that he was beginning to have an idea. "I wasn't ignoring Laura."

"Yes you were." Brian said simply. "If you really want to know what's bothering her, you should just ask."

So Brian had heard a little of their conversation from earlier, Sam decided, if not all of it. For a moment, he was so envious of his best friend that he almost couldn't stand it; Brian knew things about Laura that he could never know. He had memories of Laura that he would never have and he knew most of Laura's secrets.

Sam stared at his friend for a while, forcing the jealousy to pass; whatever Laura and Brian had, it was nothing like what he wanted to have with her. And that was something _he _would never have if he didn't talk to Laura, to force himself to ask to know her secrets and tell her his. Tell her that he loved her.

"Yeah." Sam mumbled finally. "You're right. I should just talk to her." He stood, something he hadn't done in nearly two hours and wasn't surprised to find that his muscles had stiffened. There was nothing like being trapped inside an apartment to take away your need for motion.

Brian nodded once and returned his gaze to the Walkman, as though it would tell him something that he didn't already know. Sam cast one final glance out the window, though in the darkness the only thing he could see was his own reflection, before heading out the living room and down the hallway Laura had disappeared down moments before.

Laura had left the bedroom door open and Sam could see the faint glow of the candle washing across the floor. He stopped in the foyer and peered inside, spotting Laura sitting motionless on the edge of the bed, and he rapped on the side of the door so that it didn't look as though he were barging in on her.

Laura turned in his direction, startled and fixed him with her solid brown eyes. Sam saw that whatever had caused them to sparkle had vanished and he couldn't help but feel that it was his fault that her light had gone. He saw that she was shivering slightly, having deserted her mass of blankets and had her curls pulled back into a ponytail. Even in the faint light from the single candle, Sam could still tell how beautiful she was.

For a moment, they remained where they were, staring at each other through the shadows as though they were complete strangers. Finally, Sam stepped into the room and nudged the door shut behind him, unwilling to allow Brian anymore chances to eavesdrop but didn't step any closer to Laura, as though attempting to keep his distance.

It was Laura who spoke first, as though she had sensed Sam's reason for coming. "Go away Sam." She told him, though he could sense that her heart wasn't behind her words. "I don't want to talk about it."

Sam sighed; not once in his life had he met a girl as stubborn and as beautiful as Laura Chapman. But, then again, not once had he ever heard of a boy too afraid to open his mouth and tell someone how he felt. "Look, Laura, I know I'm probably not the smartest guy in the world, or the best guy to come to whenever you have a problem but maybe I can help." He stepped closer to her. "I mean-"

Laura turned away before Sam could get too close. "No, you can't help." She told him frankly. She looked back at him with the strangest look on her face that Sam couldn't place for a moment; when he finally could place it, he saw that it was the look of someone who had given up completely and had almost accepted that fact. "But that's all right," she told him almost lightly, "you can't understand."

"Maybe I could understand if you'd just tell me what's bothering you." Sam took another step toward her. "What I don't understand why you won't just tell me."

Laura looked at him, almost accusingly. "Because you _couldn't _understand." She declared, her voice wavering. Inside, she hated herself for not being able to tell him of the stupid fears and reservations that had ruled the better part of her life; she hated herself for not being able to leave the armor that her mother had forced her into.

Sam looked at her with a look of helpless confusion that broke Laura's heart into more pieces then she was already trying to put back together. She had seen that look before, on her father's face as he had walked out the door eleven years ago, the look of someone giving up for good. _No, _Laura wanted to say to Sam, _please don't leave me; don't give up, not yet. _She wanted to throw her arms around his shoulders and never let go; she wanted to tell him everything.

But instead of doing those things, Laura turned away again, putting her back to Sam. Sam wanted to hold her against him until she figured out that whatever she was afraid of didn't matter anymore.

"When you were growing up," Laura said suddenly, catching all of Sam's attention, "did you ever feel like everything that mattered in life would just go away? You'd wake up one morning and it would all be gone?" She didn't know what she was saying, she didn't know she was saying this to him now. But, somehow, she couldn't stop herself from speaking and turned back to face Sam once more, tears shining in her eyes. "Because I did."

Sam stared at her, unsure of what to say and wanting nothing more then to pull her to him and never let her go again. Silence seemed to be the best answer to Laura's question because she remained where she was, searching him with her eyes. "My father left when I was six." She told him. "I came home one day from school and found him sitting in the living room, surrounded by suitcases, holding my little sister and just crying. I knew what he was going to do and I begged him to stay but-" she sighed deeply, a single tear slipping down her cheek, "he wouldn't stay. Not for me."

A minute of silence passed as Sam waited for her to say anything more, waited for something to break the spell that seemed to have been placed over him keeping him from going to Laura. "And my mother," she continued then, "spent eleven years managing to convince me that, somehow, everything that ever happened to her was my fault. And I spent eleven years trying to convince her that I was the perfect daughter, that she didn't have to leave too." More tears fell then and Laura hated herself for crying them but, at the same time, she felt a sense of relief.

Sam stepped closer to her then, feeling as though everything was suddenly perfectly clear; a part of him felt terrible for forcing Laura to release this part of herself but at least now he understood. He understood that she pushed him away because she was afraid of losing him. He wrapped his arms around Laura and pulled her against him, kissing the crown of her head. "No, Laura," he whispered, "you'll never loose me."

Laura stiffened up and pulled away from him, regarding Sam wearily as though she didn't trust anything that he said. "No." She said simply as though that would explain everything, stepping back. "That's not true."

Sam closed the gap between them, trying to pull Laura against him once more. "Yes it is; I love you Laura." He told her, kissing her forehead. The words were so much easier to say now that he knew how badly she needed to hear them.

Hot tears rolled down Laura's cheeks as she pushed Sam away from her, shaking her head, her curls falling down her cheeks. Sam held her, despite the weak blows she was delivering against his chest. Laura tried to twist away from him, curling her fingers into shaking fists and striking him against his chest.

Sam whispered the same words to her over and over again, telling Laura that he loved her as though if he said it enough times she would believe him. Finally, Laura's arms dropped to her side as she fell to her knees, hanging her head, her shoulders shivering with unsuccessfully repressed sobs. Sam knelt in front of her, wrapping his arms around her shaking shoulders and pressing her face against his chest. This time Laura didn't protest, holding him tightly as she buried her face against his shoulder, swallowing deep breaths in an attempt to quell her tears.

"It's all right." Sam whispered, stroking her head and freeing her long curls from their messy ponytail. "It's okay." He kissed Laura's forehead and her temple, hoping that his words find their mark.

Laura remained against him for how long Sam didn't know, appearing to cry herself out until she had no more tears. Sam had stopped whispering to her and just held her in silence, feeling her breathing against him.

"I'm sorry." Laura mumbled finally, pulling away from him and staring down at the floor, as though she was too ashamed to look Sam in the eyes. "It's just...I know it's stupid but..." she finally looked up at him. "I was so afraid."

Sam gently trailed his fingers down her cheek, wiping away her tears. He knew that he had never loved her more then he did in that moment. "Laura, I love you." There was so much more he could have said at that moment, but somehow it didn't seem necessary. Now that he had finally told Laura how he felt, he wanted nothing more then to tell her for the rest of his life, to assure her that she never had to worry again.

Laura looked almost hesitant for a second before she leaned closer to him, their foreheads touching. "I love you too, Sam." She whispered and kissed him lightly. "I love you." She kissed him again, slipping her arms around his shoulders and pulling him closer.

Sam was so surprised by her confession for a second that he couldn't move, couldn't think of anything but her lips against his, hearing her voice in his head over and over again. He knew that he could never tell her just how much he loved her, how much she meant to him but he hoped that Laura understood, that unspoken promises were still promises.

Allowing himself no further time to think about whether Laura knew how much he loved her, Sam kissed her, on her cheeks, her forehead, her lips, down her neck and through the thin fabric of her sweater. Laura ran her fingers through his hair, kissing the top of his head and pulling him closer to her; she knew that she had never loved anyone as much as she loved Sam and suddenly she wasn't afraid to admit it. And, for the first time in her life, she knew without a doubt that she was loved, that Sam loved her.

Laura pulled away from him and smiled faintly, running her fingers down Sam's cheek and across his chest. Sam kissed her lightly on the cheek as Laura wrapped her fingers around the loose fabric of his shirt and slowly lay on her back against the carpet, pulling her down with him.

As Sam looked at the girl he knew he was going to love for the rest of his life, he thought about how beautiful she looked at that moment, with her hair fanning out behind her, her eyes sparkling once more, only for him. And, as Laura started kissing him once more, Sam stopped thinking all together.


	7. Se7en

* * *

"Looking at you, looking at me and the view right now is beautiful and so unreal. And the world moves in slow motion all around us as you ask me how I feel."

-Acres, _Georgia Gray

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_

Chapter Seven

To Sam, it appeared that time had decided to stand still, freezing him in the most perfect moment of his life. That was his first thought upon waking, when he didn't know and where he wasn't quite sure but those factors didn't seem very important because he was snuggled warm in bed beside the girl of his dreams, who was still sleeping beside him.

Not bothering to devote his attention to deciding what time of day (or night?) it was, Sam instead concentrated on watching only Laura, who was unaware of his attention. Her head was rested upon his bare chest, her curls flowing down her cheeks and across his skin and she had one arm spread across his chest as well. Even though Sam had been hoping for this moment, dreaming for it, since he had laid eyes on Laura, he still found it hard to believe that it had happened. Him and Laura, together at last and, if it was possible, he loved her even more now then he did last night.To Sam, Laura was the epitome of an angel and he wanted nothing more then to be with her again, to run his fingers through her hair and hear her whisper his name as he kissed her. He wanted to run his fingers down her back, wanted to feel her arms around his shoulders, wanted to make sure that she knew that she never had to be afraid again. Sam wanted to take care of her, to hold her and never let her go.But Laura looked so beautiful lying against him, his beautiful porcelain doll, that Sam regretted ever having to wake her again. If she could remain forever in dreamland, then she would never have to worry again and he would watch over her forever and make sure that no harm ever came to her. But then, Sam knew that he couldn't stand to be away from her that long, to never hear her voice or see himself reflected in her eyes, so it was best that she'd wake up.  
Regardless of what he wanted, which was only her, Sam decided to let Laura sleep, for there was no telling how long it would be before they had a real nights sleep again. While he didn't want to believe that they might be stuck in J.D.'s apartment for more then a handful of days, it was beginning to become more and more of a reality. And it was a reality that didn't make for pleasant dreams.As silently as possible, Sam slipped out from beneath Laura, regretting every second that he was suddenly away from her. The air in the room was so cold, something he hadn't noticed when he had been in bed with her, that his teeth started chattering instantly and he was shivering horribly within seconds. Quickly, Sam retrieved his clothes and dressed himself with shaking hands, though that did little to elevate the cold; he could see his breath in a thick cloud in front of him and he knew that it was unnatural of it to be this cold. It was also unnatural for New York City to be buried beneath water, but a part of him hoped that that fact was nothing but a dream, that everything other then being with Laura had been a dream.Sam tried to keep his teeth from chattering as he looked back at Laura again, who hadn't woken despite the sudden change. He noticed that she had started shivering as well, as though by moving away from her he had destroyed the only remaining heat in New York, and he wrapped the thick quilt around her shoulders, tucking it beneath her chin.Smiling faintly to himself, Sam brushed Laura's hair away from her face and trailed his fingers gently across her cheek. In her sleep, Laura smiled as well but she didn't look any closer to waking then she had earlier. Sam knelt slightly and kissed her on the cheek, her skin warm against his lips. "I love you." He whispering, hoping that she heard him in her dreams. Now that he had said it once, he found himself wanting to tell Laura that he loved her every second; he wondered why he had been so afraid to do so before.

With a last look at his sleeping angel, Sam regretfully left the bedroom, leaving the door cracked so that he didn't seem so far away from Laura. The living room was even colder, if that was possible, then the bedroom had been. Frost crystals covered the windows, blanketing them and making it impossible to see even his own reflection. Sam quickly retrieved the blanket Laura had discarded hours before and wrapped it around his shaking shoulders. They'd have to start a fire soon, otherwise they would never get warm.

Though he knew it was useless, Sam went around the living room and methodically turned on all the lamps that he could find. None came on; the room was devoid of the familiar hum provided by electrical appliances and the streets beyond were utterly silent. It was like being trapped in some sort of bubble, and he knew that was a fitting metaphor; he and his friends were trapped in the apartment until help came. And that didn't seem very likely.

With a sigh, Sam dropped onto the couch and buried his face in his hands. The probability of someone coming for them, especially since no one knew where they were, was even more unlikely today as it had been today. He felt utterly helpless, trapped without even the knowledge of what time of day it was. It could still be the middle of the night for all he knew, or mid-afternoon, or even evening. Sam wanted to get up and do something, anything, and felt utterly defeated when he realized that there was nothing he could do.

Sam didn't uncover his face until he heard one of the bedroom doors bump against the wall, signaling the someone else in the apartment had woken. Seconds later, Laura appeared with a smile on her face that Sam found seductive, wrapped in the blanket from the bed.

Without a word, Laura came over to the couch and dropped onto Sam's lap, wrapping her arms around his shoulders, engulfing him in a mixture of fabric and her curls. Giggling quietly, Laura kissed him, her eyes shining and a smile on her face. Sam wrapped his arms around her waist and drew her even closer to him, kissing her forehead and brushing her hair away from her face. "Hey beautiful." He kissed her on the tip of her nose. "Did I wake you?"

Laura shook her head. "No, but I wish you had." She rested the back of her head against Sam's shoulder, allowing him to cradle her in his arms. "What are you doing out here? You should come back to bed." She grinned at him.

"That's very tempting." Sam murmured, kissing her again. "I was just checking to see if the power had come back on." He sighed. "But it's still out."

Laura sighed and snuggled closer to him. "I guess the heat's gone out too." She shivered and drew the blanket higher around her shoulders. "It's so cold."

Sam held her tighter, rubbing his hands up and down her arms in an attempt to banish some of the chill. Laura smiled and he knew that he would never get tired of seeing her beautiful smile, especially now that he knew she was smiling for him. Suddenly, he didn't care that they were trapped in an isolated apartment; he had Laura and that was all that mattered. He wanted to stay there forever with her.

Laura trailed her fingers along Sam's arm, almost absently. "I love you, Sam." She mumbled off-handedly, lifting his hand and kissing his fingers. _You saved me_, she wanted to tell him; there was so much she wanted to say but, somehow _I love you _seemed perfect. At least for a moment.

Sam kissed the top of her head, then her cheek. "I love you too." He told her and he did. He had never loved anyone like he loved her and he knew that he'd never love anyone like that again; though he wasn't thinking much beyond her, because he wanted to be with her forever.

Several moments passed in perfect silence, with Sam holding Laura and Laura allowing herself to be held. Despite the situation, Laura didn't think she had ever felt safer then she did at the moment, wrapped in Sam's arms, trying to fight off the cold. It didn't seem as though they were trapped in an apartment, which had become an island surrounded by an ocean that had once been New York City. She didn't want to believe that this was anything but normal morning, if it even was morning, with the man that she loved.

But it wasn't normal, as much as she'd like to believe and Laura sighed quietly, forcing herself to ask, "What's going to happen to us?" Before Sam could ask her to clarify just what she was talking about, Laura did it herself. "Do you think help will come?"

Sam trailed his fingers gently down her cheek and she shivered slightly because his fingers had become like ice. But Laura still welcomed his touch and snuggled closer against him. "Of course." He assured her, though he wasn't quite sure whether it would or not. But that wasn't the sort of thing you told the woman you loved. "We just have to find some way to let them know we're inside."

Laura nodded, almost thoughtfully. "How are we going to do that?" She questioned, though she wasn't sure she wanted to hear Sam's answer. She knew that there wasn't an answer and that scared her; she didn't like not having a plan, especially when that plan assured her survival. But here she was, trapped in a city she barely knew, with little hope of escape. Suddenly, she wanted to cry but repressed her tears, resting her cheek against Sam's chest.

Sam didn't answer Laura's question; this was something he hadn't thought of. In time, he knew, he could come up with some kind of idea, some sort of plan. But he didn't know _how _much time he had.

* * *

It was around midnight when Robert Coleman realized this his soon to be ex-wife had forgotten to do the grocery shopping for the week. That was around the same time that he realized that the sad excuse for a hamburger he had had earlier that day wasn't going to do much when it came to fighting off his hunger anymore. He figured he'd been so caught up in trying to figure out what had happened to his beloved city that he hadn't thought much about how hungry he had soon become.

Well, the fact that New York City was flooded no longer seemed important as Coleman stormed around his kitchen, flinging open cabinets and searching for food inside. Aside from a stale box of cereal and a package of ground beef that he couldn't cook anyway, the apartment was surprisingly bare. It was like something you expected to find in an empty house, not a fully functional and expensive New York apartment. Coleman mentally cursed his wife for knowing every take-out number by heart and forgetting how to use the stove.

And, as life seemed to go, Coleman found himself even hungrier now that he knew that there was no food. It was like realizing you were about to die of thirst when you were stuck in a desert. Trying to push aside his food cravings, Coleman decided to make due with the box of cereal and sat down on his floor, beside the lone flashlight he had uncovered beneath the junk in his closet, attempting to find of anything but his situation.

However, there wasn't a whole lot to think about, once he realized that most of what he occupied his mind with was now underwater. He couldn't think about work because there was no more work; baseball didn't matter anymore either, because the green was submerged. Coleman couldn't even fluster himself by thinking about his ex-wife because, chances were, she was buried beneath the water as well.

That thought should have made Coleman smile but it didn't. All he could think about was that he had no food, little reliable water, no electricity and no way out of the city. He started thinking about how long a person could survive without food before dying of starvation or being driven totally mad. He figured that the latter would happen first and he dreaded the thought of himself, driven crazy because he couldn't have a cheeseburger.

Coleman eagerly pushed that thought aside. It would do him no good thinking like that, because it wouldn't come to that. Before he had to even worry about hallucinating, he would be rescued. Sooner or later, someone would come for him.

* * *

Laura had fallen asleep once more, cradled in Sam's arms, still shivering because of the cold but seeming, for the large part, oblivious. Sam held her against him, his chin resting on her shoulders, listening to her quiet breathing and trying to think of nothing else. He wished that things were different, that he was safely at home on his own couch with Laura in his lap and the only thought in his head of her.

But there was so much more bogging down his mind that Sam knew he couldn't even begin to tackle all the problems they would soon be faced with. Sure, they had food now but what would happen in a week or less when all the food had run out and they still hadn't been rescued from J.D.'s apartment. And water was an even more pressing problem; with the growing cold, Sam had begun to worry that the pipes would freeze and cut off their water supply. When Laura and Brian woke, he was going to have to get them to start filling whatever they could with water, though he didn't know what good that would do.

At the moment, Sam was worried the most about the cold; if the temperature continued to drop, there was going to be no way for them to fight off the chill and stay warm. The heat clearly wasn't functioning and he doubted they could find enough blankets for all three of them to successfully stay warm.

If they could just get in touch with someone, let someone, _anyone_, know where they were, then maybe they had a chance. But without that-

Laura shivered in his arms and murmured something in her sleep, snuggling closer against Sam's chest. Sam couldn't bare the thought of something happening to her, not something so horrible as starving or freezing to death. If anything happened to Laura, he knew without a doubt that he couldn't handle a life without her. For the first time in his life, he finally understood _Romeo and Juliet_.

Sam sighed and pulled Laura closer to him. There had to be some way to get them out of this apartment and somewhere safe. But, unless they found a canoe, he couldn't come up with anything at the moment.

Down the hallway, one of the bedroom doors opened and Brian emerged seconds later, his teeth chattering, his shoulders shaking so badly that the blanket he had wrapped around them nearly flew off. "It is too god-damn cold," he complained noisily as soon as he saw his friend, "to be nature."

Sam motioned for him to keep his voice down and gestured toward Laura, who was still sleeping on his lap. He had reasoned long ago that she could sleep through anything but he still didn't want to take the chance of waking her. Brian raised an eyebrow when he saw Laura's new sleeping arrangement and sat down on the other end of the couch to look at his friend. "So you finally did it?" He remarked. "You finally told her you loved her."

Sam couldn't help but smile. "Something like that." He agreed, which only caused more curiosity to fill Brian's face. Before his friend could say anything, Sam intervened, saying with a sly grin, "You know I don't kiss and tell."

Brian rolled his eyes. "That's just like you Sam." He mumbled. "You're the worst gossiper."

"Brian, I surprised," Sam said with false concern, "you care more about what happened between Laura and I last night then the fact that we're stuck in an apartment building."

His friend shrugged. "What can I say," Brian sighed, "I'm just trying to ignore that fact for as long as possible."

Sam sighed as well. "I know what you mean but ignoring it won't change the fact that it's happened." He pointed out, shifting his weight and causing Laura to mumble something inaudible but clearly indignant. He kissed her forehead. "We've got to get out of here."

Brian nodded slowly. "I know, I've been thinking about that for most of the night." He sighed. "If it even is night; do you have a watch?" Sam shook his head. "I can't come up with any ways to get us out of here."

"Me neither." Sam muttered reluctantly. He didn't want to admit that he didn't know what to do, that he didn't know how to save his own life.

"So, unless Sleeping Beauty there has any ideas, I think it's safe to say we're screwed." Brian deduced.

Sam's brow furrowed. "Don't say that." He mumbled. "We'll think of something." But he wasn't so sure.

* * *

It was no surprise to Jack that Lucy wasn't asleep by the time one A.M. rolled around. Her worry for Sam and her often erratic sleeping schedule at the hospital were more then enough to keep her awake. So, when he found his ex-wife sitting in his office -where she had bedded for the night- looking at childhood pictures of Sam, Jack decided the best thing to do would be to join her.

Lucy didn't even look up when he entered, her mind totally focused on the frame photograph in her hands. "I love this picture." She told him absently, trailing her finger across the image of eight-year-old Sam standing beside a mound of sand that had once been a castle.

Jack smiled faintly when he saw the picture she was holding. "So do I." He told her, and he did. The sight of his son, looking either very angry or quite pleased that his labors had been destroyed by the tide, always seemed to make him smile. "When was that taken?" He questioned.

"In Miami." Lucy told him, looking away from the picture finally, a slightly accusing look on her face. "Remember, you were in Alaska, doing research on your doctorate." Jack winced slightly. "Sam and I went with my sister."

Jack sighed and nodded slowly, though he regretted very minute of it. "I was never home." He decided aloud, though Lucy made no remark. "It's only when something bad happens that you realize all the mistakes you've made."

"Don't say that Jack," Lucy admonished. "You've been a good father." Even to her, her words sounded hollow but they were true. Jack loved Sam, no one could argue that, but he wasn't always around to show it.

Jack sighed and perched himself on the edge of his desk. "I just wish..." He sighed once more and Lucy could see his weakness, his sudden inability to handle things. "When he comes back, things are going to be different."

Lucy rested her hand on Jack's shoulder and smiled faintly; she found it amazing that he could speak so lightly about Sam's absence, as though he really was just off on a school trip. But she admired his assurance that Sam would come home, sooner or later, unharmed, acting as though never had ever happened.

"Don't worry." Lucy said with more strength then she knew she had. "He'll come back to us."

_Thanks for all the great reviews, I love you guys. It's good to know that I'm not writing this for nothing. Lily: You need to update! Remember what I said about the birds and the fat dog! Wally: Where'd you go? We miss you around here! Punkin: Thanks for the reviews, you're getting better at that harassing thing. And L.B., my best friend, don't let the bad reviews get you down. As they said in "Ella Enchanted", you've just got to grin and bare it (does that remind you of Anne Hathaway with that creepy smile on her face?). I can't wait to read your Parker story so... "hop to it." Okay, I'm going to stop with the "Ella Enchanted" references. Remember that I love you! Keep up those reviews! _


	8. A Home at the End of the World

* * *

"All my life you made me believe I was only worth what someone would pay for me. But he loves me! He _loves me _and that is worth everything."

- Nicole Kidman (Satine) _Moulin Rouge

* * *

_

Chapter Eight

A Home at the End of the World

By the time morning came, or what Coleman assumed was morning judging by the time on his slowly ticking watch, he was the hungriest he had ever been in his life. He'd eaten the entire box of stale cereal and was trying to get rid of his hunger by forcing himself into slumber. But sleep wouldn't come for Coleman's mind was too filled with other things, images of food and he could even taste it in his mouth.

Was that the first step to going crazy? He wondered, imaging things so vividly they had to be real? But if it wasn't, Coleman knew it was only a matter of time now. _A matter of time..._

_

* * *

_

Michelle knew it was only a matter of time before she completely lost it and snapped. She figured that was the normal reaction one was supposed to have when their daughter was missing and possibly dead but she knew that her tense and tangled feelings had nothing to do with Laura's disappearance.

Tessa hadn't left her side since they had learned that New York had been flooded and Michelle wanted to strangle the younger girl. And now, on top of everything else, there were rumors that the strange weather that had been plaguing the entire world was going to get worse and they might have to evacuate. Never in her entire life had Michelle ever been forced to turn away or leave anything and now someone was trying to tell her that she had to abandon her home?

Though she knew that it was a baseless excuse, Michelle attempted to tell herself that the reason she didn't want to leave was because Laura still hadn't gotten in touch with her and she might attempt to. And what would happen if she wasn't around to take the call? To assure her daughter that everything would be all right and she would still be waiting when she made her way back home? But Michelle knew that wasn't the truth, that Laura's absence had nothing to do with her refusal to leave her home. She just didn't like to be told what to do; even as a forty-five year old woman, she was still as stubborn as a child.

But Michelle knew that sooner or later, her entire world was going to come crashing down around her, one way or another.

* * *

Laura had lost count of how many layers she had pulled over her head, how many shirts she had upon shirts, sweaters and sweatshirts and yet, she was still shaking. Her teeth were chattering and her breath was blooming in a crisp cloud in front of her, reminding her of just how cold it was in the apartment. The windows were beginning to crack with the dropping temperature from outside and Laura feared what would happen if the glass shattered completely and decided not to think about it.

When she could find no more clothes in the master bedroom to pull over her head, Laura retreated from the bedroom, dragging along the sheets and pillows from the bed behind her like a train as she went down the hallway.

Sam was in the living room, attempting to strike a match with shaking fingers, kneeling in front of the fireplace, which had been filled with the two logs rested in a whicker basket on the stone in front of the fireplace, as well as the broken basket itself. Brian was in the kitchen, going through the cabinets and attempting to assess their food supply.

Laura dropped the quilt from the bed around Sam's shoulders and knelt down beside him, slipping her arms around his shoulders and kissing his cheek. Sam grinned and turned to face her, kissing her gently and sweeping her into his arms. He kissed her on the cheek and noted her layers of clothing. "Warm enough?" He questioned, raising an eyebrow though he understood where she was coming from. Sam was freezing, even though he had several layers of clothing on as well and hoped that the fire would provide the heat that the room lacked.

"No, actually." Laura told him truthfully and shivered, drawing herself closer against him. She felt complete whenever she was snuggled against Sam, felt completely happy for the first time in her life and she found it hard to believe that things hadn't always been like that between them.

Sam wrapped his arms around her shaking shoulders, abandoning the fire for the moment and holding her against him. "I might be able to fix that." He whispered in Laura's ear as he kissed her cheek, grinning at her.

Laura felt her cheeks redden in spite of herself; she loved that Sam could still make her feel like the skittish girl she had been for most of her life because she enjoyed savoring the feeling now that she had nothing to hide. Sam knew things about her that no one else did; he knew every aspect of her, every inch and he still loved her and that was a feeling that would never grow old. It was freeing to know that you could be that open with someone, to trust someone that much and Laura loved Sam more then she could ever explain.

Sam kissed Laura then, jarring her from her thoughts and making it impossible for her to think of nothing but him. Not that she minded...

Brian peeked his head out from the kitchen and rolled his eyes when he saw Sam and Laura. "Oh get a room." He grumbled, but neither of them seemed to hear him. Louder, he said, "Hey Sam, how's the fire coming along?" His teeth chattered with every word.

Sam reluctantly pulled away from Laura, and smiled faintly when she drew in a deep and flustered breath. "I think it's coming along fine." He remarked.

Brian shook his head and turned away, facing the kitchen once again. It was just great that his friends had finally stopped acting like they were nothing but teammates and seemed to be getting along quite nicely but he would rather Sam start a fire first and canoodle later. After all, he didn't have the aid of a striking beauty to keep the cold from getting to him.

Laura helped Sam get the fire started in the stone fireplace and shivered as she scooted closer to the flames, allowing the growing heat to wash across her cheeks. Sam smiled at her as he slipped his arm around her waist, listening to the fire crack as it began consuming the locks and dry whicker basket.

The sound of the growing fire was almost drowned out by the constant news reports coming from the Walkman that Brian constantly had at his side. As the hours wore on, the reports were growing steadily worse until Sam had given up all hope of ever being rescued. But just because he didn't think anyone would ever come for them, didn't mean that he had resigned to his fate of dying in this apartment.

Sam could tell that the batteries were wearing thin, which didn't surprise him because he didn't think that Brian had turned the radio off since they had found it the day before. At times, it was almost impossible to hear the reports over the static, which was growing heavier now as well. But the message was still the same: New York City was unreachable, hope of finding survivors was slim. _We're survivors! _Sam wanted to shout at the voice that couldn't hear him. _Come and find us._

The report that a different newscaster, one that Laura hadn't heard in the hours before, was telling them now that there were rumors floating about that the president was going to make citizens evacuate their homes and head south.

Laura snuggled closer to Sam, who wrapped her in the blanket she had dropped over his shoulders earlier. "Do you really think they're going to make people leave?" She questioned, staring into the fire. Sam shrugged. "Is the storm really that bad?"

Sam sighed, not sure how to answer the brunette; judging by what had already happened, he would have guessed that, yes, the storm _was _that bad. But there was nothing for certain. Until the order was given, he wouldn't plague his mind with thinking about the evacuation when he had so much else to worry about.

Brian entered the living room with a silver pot filled with what little water he had managed to coax out of the frozen pipes and a packet of beef flavored Ramen Noodles. Sitting down beside Sam, he put the noodles in the pot and held the pot over the low flames of the growing fire.

It was only until Laura saw Brian's attempt at making a really late dinner or a really strange breakfast that she realized just how hungry she was. She tried to remember the last time she had eaten but couldn't, knowing that her mind had been to full of other thoughts to worry about hunger.

As silence settled, for the most part, in the apartment, Sam found his thoughts turning toward his parents. Were they all right? Were they worrying about him? That latter was almost certainly true, since all his parents ever did was worry about him. He was struck by just how much he missed them, how much he wished he could be at home listening to his mother tell him how her overly stressful day at the clinic had gone or talking to his dad on the phone from a million miles away.

Sam just hoped that they were all right.

* * *

Lucy yawned, shivering slightly, as she rolled over and nearly off her ex-husband's desk. It took her a moment to remember what had happened, to shake herself from her perfect dreamland and remember what was going on. One of the pillows from the couch in the adjacent room was tucked beneath her head and Jack's jacket was draped across her shoulders, but it did little to fight off the coming chill. Teeth chattering, Lucy tried to remember when it had gotten so cold.

Jack was nowhere in sight, leaving her alone in his spacious office. She had no idea what time it was but she could hear voices coming from the hallway outside, so she guessed that morning had come. Lucy remained where she was for the moment, hovering on the edge of Jack's cleared desk where she had slept fitfully the night before, and closed her eyes.

Never in her life had Lucy been good at pretending; her mother said it was because she thought only with the left side of her brain and that creativity had no place in her life. She always thought that was a pretty fair assumption, since she'd spent her entire life thinking within reason, basing her actions on science and nothing else. But now, Lucy found that pretending came easy, almost too easy and she was able to imagine herself somewhere far from Jack's office, maybe down in the Florida Keys where it was warmer then she was now. She was there, on one of the spacious white sandy beaches, enjoying the heat from the sun that was high over head, with Jack in a beach chair beside her.

Sam was there as well, playing Frisbee with the dog he'd had when he was five, with a girl beside him that she had only met once in her life. Sam had reluctantly introduced Lucy to Laura Chapman several months ago, barely giving the women time to exchange pleasantries before Sam had ushered his mother away before she could say anything that might be embarrassing. Regardless of their brief meeting, Lucy wasn't surprised to find Laura in her perfect beach vacation, since she was, after all, the reason her son had left her in the first place.

But now they were all together again and safe, somewhere that problems couldn't find them and New York City was a postcard city and nothing more. Lucy didn't want to think of her son so far away, so alone, and possibly hurt; was he scared, cold, hungry?

Try as hard as she might, Lucy couldn't hold onto her perfectly crafted images and the cold found her once again and she opened her eyes. Everything was the same as it had been before and she shivered, sitting up and swinging her legs over the edge of the desk. She wanted to find Jack, wanted to know whether he had heard from Sam; she wanted to know that her baby was all right and that she would be seeing him again soon. Outside of her mind.

* * *

Laura was shivering so much down that she wasn't even aware of it because there were no longer moments when she was warm. She was nothing but cold now, despite the steadily growing fire, so there was no use to fight the shudders.

Laura watched Brian as he balled up another piece of week-old newspaper and tossed it into the fire from where she was nestled against Sam's chest. Brian was shaking as well, so much so that he nearly missed the fire place all together when he threw the ball, which was quickly consumed by the flames. There was a brief surge of fire, a moment of warmth, before the flames died again, only to raise when another paper ball was tossed inside.

The Walkman buzzed beside Brian's knee, nothing but static now, but no one had the heart to switch the radio off. The noise had become nothing but a backdrop now, something that would be missed and noticed only when it was gone, just like the sounds that had once polluted New York City air.

As Sam watched his friend in silence, he finished the remaining Ramen Noodles in the pot. The water was ice cold by now but he forced the food down his throat, knowing that it would be stupid to waste right now; they had a limited food supply and all the necessary precautions had to be taken.

Laura shifted against his chest, resting her cheek against Sam's chest and closing her eyes for a brief moment. Sam stroked her hair, brushing it off her face and running his fingers down her icy cheek, enjoying the feel of her against him. It was easy to forget all the problems that were slowly cropping up, problems that could decide their survival, whenever he was with Laura like this and he enjoyed the feeling. If only it would last forever.

"Sam," Laura mumbled, opening her eyes and lifting her head so that she could look into his eyes. "Do you think everyone is all right? Back home I mean?" Her eyes searched his, probing for an answer before he could give her one.

"Yes." Sam answered, nodding slowly. "I'm sure they're fine." He sighed. "I was just thinking about that myself, wondering what it's like back home."

Brian looked away from the fire. "I bet it's warmer there." He remarked off-handedly before tossing another paper ball into the fire. He had been doing that almost mechanically for ten minutes, keeping himself occupied by doing the same task over and over again. Anything to keep him from thinking about the inevitable.

"I'm worried about my little sister." Laura said, resting her head against Sam's chest again, smiling faintly when he wrapped his arms around her. "I hope she's all right." She sighed. "All alone with my mother..." She was trying to make light of the situation but it was impossible.

Sam smiled faintly as well, but his heart wasn't really in the gesture. "I'm sure she's fine." He said again. Silence settled in the room and he found his thoughts once again turning toward home and how life was continuing along without them. Did they have any chance of returning to their old lives, or where they doomed to remain in this apartment, denying the inevitable.

Attempting to push those thoughts from his mind, Sam spoke again, hoping to turn everyone's mind away from their apparent fate. "Laura," he said, "what's your favorite childhood memory?" It wasn't much, but it was something; anything to remind them of what they were hoping to go back to.

Laura took in a deep breath and let it out slowly, thinking. She understood what Sam was trying to do and loved him for it; if she had the chance, she would do nothing but think of their fate, of being unable to escape a slow death. And that would drive her crazy. "When I was four-years-old and my father took me to the theatre to see _Beauty and the Beast_." She told him finally. "It was great because it was right after my little sister was born, so it was nice to do something with just my dad." She smiled at the memory, the last memory she had of him before the afternoon he had left.

Sam smiled as well, trying to imagine the Laura from her memory, sitting in a dark theatre and watching in wonder as a prince became a beast. Had she wanted to become a story book princess? Had she dreamed over her Prince Charming all those years ago? Did he measure up to her imaginary knight-in-shining armor?

Instead of asking any one of those questions, he told his own memory. "I remember my fifth birthday, when it was just me and my parents. My mother had spent all day baking my birthday cake because, she can't really bake so she had to start over a couple of times. Anyway, when the cake was finally iced and ready, she left it in the kitchen, on the counter, because she said that she and my father had a special present for me. They went into the kitchen to get it and it turned out to be a puppy. The puppy had also eaten most of the cake by the time my parents went in to get her but I was so happy to get a dog that I didn't care about the cake. I remember the look on my mother's face when she saw the puppy, covered with cake and icing." Sam's smile grew wider. "I thought she was going to kill that dog."

Laura smiled as well, picturing a tiny puppy with cake on in its fur, wagging its tail. "I never had a dog." She said. "My sister's allergic."

For a moment, they remained in silence, remembering memories gone past and a time that no longer really existed. Laura tried to call up another memory from her childhood, a pleasant one she had from after her father left but her mind was, not surprisingly, empty. All she could remember was studying and trying to be perfect, trying to be the best. Those memories were washed away by the knowledge that she no longer had the be perfect, that Sam loved her for her imperfections as well.

Laura pulled away from Sam and sat across from him so that she could see him clearly. "Your most embarrassing moment?" She prompted with a devious smile.

Sam sighed, searching his mind. "Fifth grade talent show." He answered slowly, his gaze flicking over toward Brian. "When Brian and I decided to-"

"No." Brian interrupted. "Laura doesn't need to hear that story." He looked even more embarrassed then Sam did, trying to act nonchalant as he continued to toss newspaper into the fire. "It's not that interesting."

Laura raised an eyebrow. "C'mon." She said, smiling at Sam. "I _do _want to hear." Her smile grew wider, more hopeful, attempting to drag the story from Sam.

Sam sighed and rolled his eyes. "Brian and I decided that it would be a clever act to lip-synch to the Backstreet Boys' _Backstreet's Back_." He answered, looking down at the floor in an attempt to avoid eye contact with Laura. He didn't need to see the amusement in her eyes to know that it was there; it was less embarrassing that way.

Laura giggled and covered her mouth with her hands in an attempt to stifle any further laughter. She grinned wickedly at Sam. "You didn't dance, did you?" She questioned. Sam didn't answer and so she turned toward Brian. "Did you?" Brian looked away as well. She couldn't stop the laughter now. "You did." She decided with a laugh. "I wish I could have seen that."

Sam thanked the Lord for small miracles, never having been happier that his mother hadn't brought the video camera that night. "Okay," Sam looked up at her. "What about you? Lip-synch to Britney Spears perhaps?" He questioned.

"Oh God no." Laura shook her head. "My story's not that funny." She told him, waving her hand dismissively. "It's not really important."

Sam raised an eyebrow. "You're not getting out of this one." He informed her.

Laura sighed. "When I was thirteen, I went out with my mom and sister for my mom's birthday at a Mexican restaurant. My sister and I decided it would be funny to see if we could convince the waiter to bring us real Strawberry Daiquiris; we didn't think he really would." She smiled slightly. "But he did anyway and my sister and I didn't realize it until we were one a third drink and feeling a little woozy." She grinned sheepishly at Sam before looking away quickly. "I remember, I started singing that song 'Tequila' out loud five minutes after the band had been playing it. Everyone was staring at me."

Sam grinned, unable to imagine Laura in such a state. "I bet your mom was real pleased about that."

Laura looked at him. "Oh she was." She grinned. "Especially when Tessa and I were throwing up all night and we wouldn't tell her why. She thought we had food poisoning."

Sam took her hand and kissed it in an attempt to elevate some of Laura's embarrassment. "Well, at least you didn't sing the Backstreet Boys." He reminded her.

Laura laughed. "And at least I was drunk when I started singing." She reminded him with a grin and a raised eyebrow.

Sam shook his head, looking at her with mock hurt. "Rub it in..." He mumbled, but he couldn't keep from smiling at her. "Okay, here's one: most physical pain you've ever been in."

"What's with these questions that make us look like idiots?" Laura questioned, keeping her eyebrow raised. "I'd rather not continue to make a fool of myself."

Sam pulled her against him and kissed her on the forehead. "You could never look like an idiot to me." He whispered, kissing her cheek and wrapping his arms around Laura. Laura smiled and kissed him, feeling her heart fluttered. Oh God how she loved him.

Brian rolled his eyes but didn't say anything, continuing to feed the fire. Their reserve of paper was growing low and soon they would have to start searching the house for more kindling.

When the kiss was broken, Sam smiled at her and Laura felt her heart melt. "Here's a better question," he said but Laura wasn't in the mood for answering any more questions. She was tired of talking all together and wished that Brian wasn't around so that she and Sam could find better ways to amuse themselves. "What's your favorite movie."

"_Ferris Buller's Day Off._" Laura answered without hesitation, though she was still thinking about being alone with Sam. "I always wished that I could be like Ferris, to pretend to be sick and go around town with my friends and not even worry about being caught." She smiled faintly; she wasn't that girl anymore, the girl who worried more about her studies then having fun. Suddenly, studying all the time seemed useless; Laura wished she could have known then that something like this would happen, that studying to get into the best college and make her uncaring mother proud of her had been all for nothing.

Sam nodded slowly, as though trying to read Laura's thoughts or urge her to continue. But she just looked at him and smiled, pushing away her own thoughts and clearly waiting for his answer. "I like _The Matrix_," He began but Brian interrupted before he could say anything more.

"No you don't." His friend pointed out, looking over at Sam. "You hate that movie." He raised an eyebrow.

Laura looked at Sam, intrigued now as why he had bothered to lie to her; it wasn't important what his favorite movie was and she wanted to know just what it was, why he hadn't told her before. "What's your favorite movie?" Laura questioned, surprised when Sam didn't make her gaze, a little bit of embarrassment entering his eyes. "Sam?"

"_The Lion King._" Sam mumbled, so low that Laura almost didn't hear what he had said. He looked up at her with a sheepish look on his face. "I know it's a kid's movie but I can't help it." He paused when he noticed that Laura was grinning at him. "You're making fun of me."

Laura shook her head and slipped her arms around his shoulders. "I think it's sweet." She told him honestly. "And I still cry every time Mufasa dies." She said with a smile.

Sam moved to kiss her but before he could, the sound of shattering glass filled the apartment, causing both of them to pull away in surprise. Laura turned her head apprehensively in the direction the noise had come: from somewhere down the hallway. "What was that?" She questioned.

Sam untangled himself from Laura and got to his feet, helping her up as well. Brian stood, though he seemed reluctant to leave the fire. He stayed behind when Sam and Laura started toward the hallway, feeding another piece of newspaper into the flames; someone had to make sure that the fire didn't go out, otherwise they might not get it started again.

Laura opened the door to the master bedroom and was instantly hit was a blast of air colder then what was in the living room, if that was even possible. The wind was so fierce and biting that she stepped away from the foyer, shivering feverishly. Sam pulled her against his chest but she was shaking just as badly as he was.

Reluctantly, Laura nudged the door open the rest of the way and peeked into the bedroom. In the seconds that the solid, frozen phone cable had come smashing through the large window, the room had turned icy, snow pooling around the shattered window, jagged ice crystals forming on the window sill. The room was almost unbearable to be near and Sam wondered how much worse it was outside. He doubted that lower temperatures had ever been captured on record, doubted that it had ever been this cold before; not since the ice age thousands of years ago. He couldn't help but wonder if his father had been right all along, if a new ice age was on it's way and had suddenly caught them all unawares.

Laura shivered, pulling her layers tighter around her. "I guess we won't be using that bedroom again." She remarked, eagerly shutting the door. The cold had seeped into the apartment and she wanted nothing more then to cuddle up by the fire with Sam once more.

Sam seemed to have the same idea, ushering her back toward the fire. Brian looked over at them when they approached, shivering as well. "What happened?" He questioned, his teeth chattering as he held his hands out to the fire.

"The window broke." Laura answered, dropping to the floor and instantly crawling into Sam's lap, laying against his chest. "It's snowing outside."

Sam held Laura close against him, trying to stop her shivers. But it seemed impossible, it had grown too cold in spite of the fire. Laura's teeth chattered as she pressed her face against Sam's chest, her curls spilling down her cheeks and creating a strange sort of protective barrier. She didn't know what she was protecting herself from anymore, but she didn't think it mattered; she didn't have to hide herself from Sam, she never had to.

There was nothing to be said for the moment, three separate minds drifting toward the same conclusion. How soon could you freeze to death? How low did the temperature have to be to freeze to death? Would it hurt dying agonizingly slow, just because you couldn't get warm?

Sam tried to figure out how long they could last in their apartment, their home at the end of the world and didn't like what he came up with. The odds didn't appear to be in their favor.

So, here's another chapter; I know it's been a little while since the last update but I've been busy with school and other fics, yadda yadda. Shout out to my best friend, the P.I.M.P. Lucie Brody, who is my absolute hero! And, of course, to Punkin, who left a very long review. As for my adopted sis, Lily, where's the review love? It makes me so sad... Anyway, keep up those reviews because I love them more then I love chicken biscuits and bananas (LOL, Lucie). Love you all! 


	9. Forming a Plan

* * *

"All you could do was solve the problem life put in front of you."

Lindsay Lohan (Cady), _Mean Girls

* * *

_

Chapter Nine

Forming a Plan

Laura didn't want to do anything other then curl up in front of the slowly growing fire and cry, to hid her face in her hands and let the tears come. She didn't know why she was hiding them, but she hadn't let herself cry since the night before when she had been so vulnerable, so open in front of Sam. Even though the best thing that had ever happened in her life had come from those moments of absolute honestly, allowing herself to be that unprotected again made Laura uneasy and so she kept her tears suppressed. Even though it was becoming more and more obvious that they were never going to get out of the apartment, that help was not coming, that they were going to die. Laura figured those were normal circumstances for anyone to cry, but she had gotten so good at hiding her tears that now it came naturally.

And so that was what she did as she hurried through the bedrooms in the apartment, trying to waste as little time as possible in order to return to the living room, which was better heated then the rest of the apartment. Laura's teeth chattered constantly, her hands shaking, as she went through J.D.'s bedroom, something that she didn't think was right but didn't believe she really had a choice about. They needed whatever they could to stay warm and it wouldn't hurt to find extra batteries or even a flashlight, since the candle supply was almost nonexistent.

Laura's hands shook as she stripped J.D.'s bed of its tangled sheets, tossing them to the floor in a crumpled pile. She didn't give herself the time to think that J.D. was likely to be dead and, regardless of whether he was or not, he would never be sleeping in his bed again. She tried not to think of her own bed in her home, which seemed millions of miles away and how her family must be fairing against the growing storm. Laura even found herself missing her mother and all her faults, knowing that she would have given anything to back home, being yelled at by her mother, then trapped in a freezing apartment knowing that she was going to die.

With the bed nothing but a mattress, Laura turned her attention to the rest of the room, trying to make herself believe that she was going through a stranger's things instead of the things of the person that had sheltered her from the raging storm outside. The drawers had already been emptied of clothing so Laura skipped going through the dresser, rummaging instead through J.D.'s desk drawers. There was nothing but papers with no organization and a single flashlight which she snatched up gratefully.

Gathering up the sheets she had taken off the bed, Laura headed back into the living room, grateful to get out of the frigid temperature that had enveloped J.D.'s room. She saw Sam crouched in front of the fire, warming his bare hands as he fed more paper into the flames. Brian was asleep in the arm chair he had drug over to the fireplace, nearly hidden beneath the mountains of blankets that he had piled around himself. The Walkman was in his lap, silent now since the batteries had long since run out. Brian hadn't let go of the radio, even though it was useless now, holding it as though he expected voices to pour out of the speaker; voices that would tell them that they were going to be rescued.

Laura added the blankets off J.D.'s bed into the pile that had already been collected and sighed deeply, catching Sam's attention. He turned back to look at her with a slight smile on his face; despite the circumstances, seeing Laura still managed to make Sam smile and remind him constantly how much he loved her, how much he cared for her.

"Find anything?" Sam questioned, pulling Laura to him and wrapping his arms around her shoulders. He would never get tired of holding Laura against him, he knew, and still had a hard time believing that she was his, that _she _loved _him._

Laura pulled away from him and pulled the flashlight out of one of the pockets of her many jackets, a slight smile on her face. She realized that she hadn't even turned it on to see if it worked and clicked the flashlight on then, grateful for the beam that flashed in Sam's face. "At least we have something for when the candles run out." She told him, moving the beam away from Sam's squinted eyes. "But I don't know what we'll do when the batteries go out."

Sam sighed and kissed her on the cheek. "Maybe by then someone will have come for us." He mumbled, though he no longer had the heart to act as though he believed they were going to be rescued. A part of him did still want to believe, hope, that they were going to be found, that it was only a matter of days before search parties invaded New York City. But that part of him was dying and Sam no longer had the strength to pretend that it really was only a matter of time; his attention was best used now trying to figure out how to stay warm, how to ration their remaining food and how to keep the fire going. Those were the important things.

"Maybe." Laura sighed, burying her face in the many layers she had wrapped around her arms. "Maybe they will." She didn't look up for a while, listening to the sound of the fire and feeling Sam breathing against her back. It was a situation that she wished had come at a different time or a different place; she wished that she was back home, relaxing in front of a fire in the dead of winter with Sam instead of counting away the hours and the days until they would get out of this apartment. One way or another.

When Laura finally lifted her head again, she turned to look at Sam, who was staring into the jumping flames of the fire, his mind miles away. "Sam, do you really think that some is going to come?" She questioned, looking into his distance eyes. She needed to hear him say it, needed to hear Sam say that they were going to die, or that they were going to get out. Until he said it, she couldn't, wouldn't, believe anything.

Sam looked at the brunette and seemed to sense that now was not the time to dance around the inevitable, that doing that would no longer do any good. But he still wasn't sure how to answer; he wanted to believe that help was coming, but it didn't seem likely. "It's still a possibility." Sam answered finally, looking into Laura's beautiful brown eyes. "But I think that if we want to get out of here, we're going to have to do it ourselves."

Laura looked at him quizzically. "What do you mean?" She asked. "Go outside?" She wanted to know what Sam planned to do once they had gotten outside; did he plan on finding some way to leave the city, to get back home? Suddenly, she wanted Sam to have a flawless plan so badly that she thought she would die if she learned that he didn't have a plan at all.

Sam nodded slowly. "Waiting in here isn't going to help anything; no one knows where we are." He told her. "If we get outside and at least start trying to head toward home, or wherever we can get to, then we have a little possibility of running into a search party somewhere out there."

"We'd freeze to death before we even got halfway out of the city." Laura argued, though she wished she hadn't. She wanted Sam's plan to work, wanted to get out of the freezing city and back home where she felt safe. Safer, anyway. "And what about food...?" She looked at Sam, praying for him to argue with her, to tell her that she was wrong. To tell her that he had it all figured out.

Sam smiled faintly at Laura, brushing her locks away from her face with shaking fingers. "I'm sure we'll think of something, someway to get out of here." He told her, letting his fingers trail down her back. He wanted her badly then, perhaps more so then he had the night before but it seemed impossible. All he could do was stare at her, to study her features by the faint firelight and that was nearly enough for him. "Whatever happens," Sam continued, holding Laura's face with shivering hands. "I won't let anything happen to you. I promise." He kissed her, pulling her close to him. It was a promise he hoped he could keep.

Laura slipped her arms around his shoulders, wishing that she could remain forever in his arms, safe and protected, loved. She didn't think she could bare the thought of suddenly leaving this life, of not being able to find a way out of this new life, because she couldn't bare the thought of losing the best thing that had ever happened to her.

* * *

Lucy thought that her heart was going to break into a million pieces when Jack gave her the news she had been dreading: the government hadn't received any word that there were any survivors in the north and so the northern states were being abandoned, no help was being sent. But the blow that was more crushing was that Jack had been the one to advise the President and his cabinet of this plan.

After these words left his mouth, Lucy found herself staring at her ex-husband in utter shock, motionless and silent for a handful of minutes. When she finally managed to snap herself out her seemingly catatonic state, her brow furrowed and Lucy found herself filled with burning anger. "What?" Her voice was low, deadly soft. "Jack, how could you do such a thing? Your son..._our _Sam is up there." She stepped toward him. "Send them up there."

Jack looked at Lucy with a stony, business-like stare that she hated so much, unwavering. "Sending more people up north will just kill more people." He explained, though his words were empty and hollow. No matter what he said, the situation was still the same: he had abandoned his only son for countless strangers.

"I don't care Jack." Lucy snapped, steeping even closer to him. "I don't care. That is my son, my baby and you left him." She glared at him. "You sacrificed him to appease that asshole vice president." She accused.

Jack knew this wasn't far from the truth; the vice president would have argued for hours if he had proposed sending search teams up north and that would have only wasted more time saving the people that still had a chance. He had learned from data collected from the Hedland Research Center, as well as from the NASA space-station that the chilly temperatures effecting the United States now was nothing. It was only going to get colder; the upper half of the Northern Hemisphere was going to freeze over when the land mass reached the eye of the global super-storm. Sending people up north would be like signing the death warrants for countless people but that didn't make it any easier to sign his son's.

"Lucy," Jack began as patiently as possible, but he knew that everything she said was the truth. What good would it do to deny it? "That is not true. I'm just trying to do what's right for the rest of the United States and-"

"No, Jack, do what's right for your _family _for once in your life." Lucy snapped. "Think about your family for the first time before you think about your _job_." She glared at him. "That is your son, _your son_. You do what's right for him."

Jack looked away, Lucy's words cutting deep into his chest. Sam was his son, his baby, his first born and only child; Sam was the person he loved more then life itself, the people he could do anything for. Sam was the boy he had taught to play football (he hadn't been very good), the boy he spend countless hours building model airplanes with (he'd been good at that), the boy he'd tucked into bed at night while telling him stories of the places his father, his hero, had been. Sam was the teenager he had never been frustrated at, the teenager he had always been proud of, the teenager he had taken to Greenland and spent ten wonderful days with. And now, because of his cowardly actions, his deep-running, not quite fear of the vice-president, Sam wasn't going to be the young man he had watched grow up. He wasn't going to be the young man that graduated, that got into the best college, that made a difference in the world. He wasn't going to fall in love (or had he? Lucy had mentioned something about a girl; Jack wished he had thought to bring it up), he wasn't going to get married and he wasn't going to become a father some day. All because of him.

"Lucy, you know if I could, I would be up there, looking for Sam-" Jack tried to tell his wife, perhaps himself, but she didn't want to hear it.

"Then go up there, Jack!" Lucy nearly shrieked. "Go up there and get him, go save him." She had tears in her eyes now, angry, frustrated tears that weren't going to fall. When Jack looked away again, Lucy started toward the door. "If you're not going to go get him, I will." She told him and she knew that she would. She was prepared to die for her son at that moment and would have gladly done so.

Jack grabbed her by the shoulders and stopped her, yanking her away from the door and back toward him. "You're not going out there, Lucy." He told her, taking his hands off her shoulders. "That's final."

Lucy stared at him in disbelief, unable to believe he had forbidden her to leave the room. "You cannot stop me from saving my son." She told him, still staring at him in surprise. "You can't stop me from going to him."

"You will die if you go out there." Jack said fiercely, hoping that she understood. He couldn't loose her too, couldn't loose his love on top of his son.

"Then I'll die." Lucy told him. "But at least I tried. I'm not going to murder my son like you are, Jack."

Before he was even aware of what he was doing, Jack struck Lucy across the cheek, catching her off-guard and causing her head to snap to the right. His hand stung from where he had slapped his ex-wife and he stared at it in almost disbelief, as though he couldn't believe he had actually hit her.

Silence filled the room, heavy and accusing and Jack felt as though his mouth was filled with rocks, unable to open and let loose the apologizes he wanted to give Lucy. Lucy finally looked back at him, her hand going up to touch the reddening spot on her cheek. Her eyes were still filled with tears that had yet to fall and she glared at Jack with them shining in her eyes, her hand remaining on her cheek.

"Lucy-" Jack started thickly, still stunned at the thought that he had raised a hand to someone he loved.

"Just get him Jack." Lucy interrupted before he could finish. "Get our son." She turned away and headed for the office door.

Jack stared after her for a long time, though he knew full well that she was not going to walk back through the door. All the while, Lucy's words were heavy in his mind. _Get our son_. Oh, how he wished he could.

* * *

Tessa Chapman stood in her older sister's room and wished that Laura was in there to scream at her to get out. Only sometimes was she allowed in the eldest Chapman girl's room and that was only when she had Laura's permission and she never would have been allowed to get in without those words. Tessa would have given anything, given up everything she held dear in life, if only Laura would throw something across the room at her and command her to leave. But Laura wasn't in her room, didn't know that her little sister was in her private space and the entire house felt like it had lost something too precious to ever gain back.

With heavy steps, Tessa wandered around the room, lightly running her fingers across Laura's immaculate desk, where her binders and school books were stacked, awaiting her return. She let her eyes linger across the framed photographs Laura had on her bedside table; pictures of the sisters together, pictures of just Tessa, moments of perfect happiness that were forever captured by a camera. Laura's bed was, of course, perfectly made and Tessa grabbed one of the pillows off the mattress, pressing it against her face and breathing in. The scene of Laura's lavender shampoo still clung to the fabric and brought tears to the girl's eyes; her sister should be here, she shouldn't be alone, lost somewhere in New York.

Tessa couldn't bring herself to believe that her sister was dead. Nope, not her older sister, it was someone else's. And so, she believed more then she had ever believed in anything in her life that Laura was going to join her down in Mexico, since that was where they were sending everyone because of the thing her mother called, "a God-damn, over-rated thunder storm."

Laura was going to be there in Mexico and they were going to be a happy family once again. Well, at least she was going to be happy and she was never going to annoy Laura again, never fight with her and make Laura slam the door and lock it, shutting her out. She was going to appreciate her sister, just like Laura swore she would one day.

Michelle walked down the hallway then, peering into her daughter's room and seeing Tessa standing by the bed with Laura's pillow pressed against her face. "Tessa, let's go." She prodded. "We've got to make the bus."

Tessa lifted her head and looked at her mother. "I'm going to take this." She gestured toward the pillow. "Okay?" She didn't care what her mother said; Laura would like to have her favorite pillow down in Mexico.

Michelle sighed. "Fine." She answered shortly. "Let's just go." She started down the hallway then, the two large suitcases she had packed bumping against her legs as she walked. She couldn't believe that someone had forced her to back away her most important belongings into two suitcases and leave her house behind. Michelle wanted to stay, wanted to resist and ignore everyone's over-exaggerated claims about a global super-storm. However, she had no choice but to comply, but she didn't really think it mattered. The whole thing was just going to blow over soon anyway. They probably wouldn't even make it halfway to Mexico before the government (bunch of idiots, anyway) realized that they had made a big mistake. Then she'd be back home again, unpacking her things and shaking her head at the whole stupid situation. The whole thing was just going to below over.

* * *

Coleman wondered if hallucinating was the first sign to dying of starvation because he was almost certain that he was, in fact, hallucinating. It was little things, however, that plagued his mind; things like the fat, ugly rabbit that his ex-wife had kept in the bedroom. He could see it sometimes, hopping around the living room, fat with food that Coleman wished he could have.

He was way past the point of hunger; he felt nauseous but there was nothing in his stomach, so he spent long hours dry heaving. His hands were shaking, his head was spinning and he felt feverish, lost and confused. Every little sound, the howling of the wind banging against the side of his apartment, made Coleman jump and he quite often forgot where he was. Oh, what he wouldn't give for a greasy hamburger.

His hunger and thirst was so bad that Coleman had begun to think that he was hearing voices, the sounds of people coming from outside his apartment. He knew that was impossible because there was nothing but ice and snow outside, there were no people; he doubted that there were any people left in New York City. He was a man, stranded on a deserted island, dying ever so slowly.

Coleman knew he had to get out of the living room, had to get away from the cold and the voices and that damn hopping rabbit. It was quite a process getting to his feet, and he fell several times because his shaking legs couldn't support his weight. But he finally managed to stand, wrapping his quaking fingers around the couch and pulling himself upward.

There had to be some food in this damn apartment; something, anything. Maybe one of those granola bars his wife had liked to eat, stashed in one of her coat pockets. The idea of the health food snack sounded good to Coleman right then that he started salivating, all but tasting the food in his mouth. There had to be something...somewhere...

Coleman managed to stumble down the hallway toward the closet, where he still had some of his wife's expensive (too expensive) fur coats on hangers. But if there was anything to eat in the pockets, he swore he would buy her a hundred more coats to go with the stash she already had. He opened the closet door and started tearing through the hanging garments, throwing aside the coats and knocking hat and shoe boxes off the top shelf.

It was only after Coleman had torn everything out of the closet that he remembered he was supposed to be looking in the pockets; he wasn't going to discover a hidden door in the wardrobe that would lead to a feast fit for the characters in the old C.S. Lewis novels. And so, wearily and feverish, he turned back to face the heap of coats that he had piled behind him.

Shaking and miserable, Coleman started going through the pockets of the fur coats, not once stopping to think about putting one of them on to alleviate the chill. He was strangely warm anyway.

The pockets yielded to prizes aside from one stale piece of butterscotch candy which Coleman popped in his mouth greedily, almost forgetting to take off the wrapper. So he went through the bunches of boxes that had fallen with the coats, taking off the tops and throwing them across the room.

And it was in one of the boxes that he found the thing that he forgot he even had. A coal black pistol lying amidst ribbons and tissue paper, completely innocent and unassuming, simply waiting for the chance to be used once again. And Coleman found himself staring at the gun for a long time, mesmerized by its sleek design. He wasn't sure how it would come in handy but he was unable to take his eyes off the weapon.

* * *

When Sam woke, the first thing he realized was that Laura wasn't wrapped in his arms. He blinked his eyes, allowing them to readjust to the lack of light and lifted his head, regretfully leaving the cavern of blankets he and Laura had created around themselves hours before. He didn't want to expose himself to the cold again, wanted to stay beneath the blankets until it somehow miraculously became warm again, snuggled with the girl he loved. But since that girl wasn't around, his wishes were quickly ruined.

Brian was still asleep in his arm chair, shivering, his teeth chattering, but not yet awake. Sam hoped that his friend would be able to sleep for at least a few more hours; at least one of them deserved a good night's sleep. But there was no sign of Laura in the living room, which was slowly making Sam more and more worried. However, the fire hadn't died down, so he figured that the brunette was around, keeping watch over the flames, a job that he had declared his own in order to let Laura drift to sleep in his arms. But it appeared that it had been he that had fallen asleep.

Teeth chattering, Sam stood achingly slow, the cold having set into his body, making his limbs feel heavy and unused. He pulled the numerous quilts around his shoulders, noting that several of them were gone, and stepped away from the fire. Even a few inches away from the hearth, the room was agonizingly cold, colder then he believed any other country in the world to be. The cold wasn't natural, Sam had understood that for a long time and he wondered again just what the cause was.

Now Sam could hear Laura's voice coming from the kitchen, where she was singing softly to herself, no doubt to alleviate the silence that had filled the apartment. Silently, Sam entered the kitchen, standing at the foyer and watching Laura as she went through the cabinets, pulling out boxes of cereal, bags of chips, anything she could find and stacking it on the counter.

Sam watched her, utterly captivated by her quiet voice that seemed to match her beauty so perfectly. Laura went about what she was doing, singing an old Jewel song, unaware that she had a spellbound audience. "_But if you could hear the voice in my heart it would tell you, I'm tired of feeling this way. God, won't you please hold me, release me, show me the meaning of mercy-_." Laura paused suddenly and turned around, as though she had sensed Sam's presence. "Sam." She said, somewhat flustered, her pale cheeks coloring quickly. "What are you doing?" She looked away from him, somewhat embarrassed. Having people hear her sing had always embarrassed her, no matter how many times she had been told that she had a beautiful voice, yet somehow she was glad that Sam had stumbled upon yet another private part of her. It was nice to know that someone knew almost everything about you; that way you didn't have to hide yourself.

"Nothing." Sam told her with a slight smile. "Just watching you." His smile grew wider but he remained where he was, though he wanted nothing more then to sweep Laura into his arms and have his Angel of Music sing to him for hours.

Laura looked away from him, her cheeks still flushed but a smile on her face. "I didn't mean to wake you." She apologized in an attempt to change the subject. "I was just looking for breakfast and I figured I might as well see how much food we had left."

Sam entered the kitchen and slipped his arms around Laura's waist, resting his chin on her shoulder. "How's it looking?" He questioned. "Are we going to survive the Long Winter?" It was a bad joke, he knew, but he couldn't help himself. They were stuck where they were and, while making light of their situation wasn't going to help matters, it might get a smile or two.

Laura sighed. "That is the question." She picked up a box of cereal and shook it. "Breakfast." She muttered unenthusiastically. She had never been a huge fan of cereal but she figured now wasn't the time to go around, being picky. Besides, she hadn't really been hungry since the realization that they were stuck in the apartment had hit her, but she figured it was better to force herself to eat.

Sam and Laura headed back toward the fire and fed the flames once again before sitting down, with Laura nestled against Sam's chest. She opened the book of cereal and offered some to Sam before taking a handful for herself; bowls didn't seem necessary right now, though Laura figured she would have been dying to act as though it was just another normal morning. But it wasn't a normal morning and pretending it was wasn't going to get them out of the apartment; it was time to start embracing the situation at hand and attempt to figure a way out of it.

For a while, Sam and Laura sat in silence, enjoying each others company and listening to the cracking fire. Laura had taken the plastic cereal bag out of the box and was now tearing the box itself into strips, an action that appeared almost off-handed to Sam. However, once the box was nothing more then a pile of cardboard strips, Laura started feeding the strips into the fire one by one, attempting to coax the flames along.

"I was thinking about what you said last night." Laura mused aloud, looking back at Sam. "About trying to get out. What if we found some way to get in touch with someone, the military or...anyway and told them where we were. That way, they'd know there were survivors and they'd come looking for us."

For a moment, Sam thought about what Laura had said, running her plan over and over in his head, as though he was feeling it out, checking for any possible errors. Though he was certain there were many, most of them escaped his mind for the moment. If they could find an old CB radio, then they had a good chance of reaching someone on one of the frequencies and sending help to them. That way, they wouldn't have to risk the weather outside.

_So, I've been banned from posting for the last week and let me say, it's been hell. But here I am again, with another chapter and I hope that no one lost interest. I'd just like to say, thanks to my best friend Lucie for putting up with me during the last week and only rolling her eyes and smiling whenever I reminded her "three days..." Thanks to Lily for finally reviewing...you know I love ya, sis. And thanks to someone who will never read this story: our high school president Mark, because without him this story wouldn't exsist anymore (really, it's a long story...) So, I hope that everyone is still interested in this story and keep those wonderful reviews coming! _


	10. The Other Side

* * *

"People always say life is full of choices. No one ever mentions fear." 

- "Journey to the Past" _Anastasia

* * *

_

Chapter Ten

The Other Side

It soon appeared that the voices that Coleman was hearing weren't in his head at all. Upon glancing out the window of his once grand apartment, which was now reduced to nothing but frost and tatters, he saw that New York City appeared to have frozen over. The water that had once engulfed the great city was now ice, thick and hard enough to walk on, it appeared, judging by the mass exodus that was taking place before him.

People by the hundreds were walking through the deepening snow, in groups, dragging belongings behind them, fleeing the city that was no longer home. Bundled to the best of their ability, the sudden nomads were braving the biting wind and constant snowfall, speaking only when words were necessary. And Coleman found himself staring at the refuges with great interest, as though he had never seen anything so interesting before in his entire life.

At first, Coleman had a hard time figuring out if, once again, he was imagining the whole thing. A mass hallucination caused by his biting hunger, causing him to believe that there might just be hope. Hope that he might be able to escape, hope that he could get out of the city and survive, hope that he would be full and sane again. All Coleman could think of as how hungry he was, and how his head was spinning, how everything seemed hot and how this was what it was like to go crazy. And so, the thought that maybe, just maybe, all those effects could be reversed was enough to make him want to run around what was left of his apartment in absolute, childish joy.

Coleman, however, decided against such an action because he doubted that his legs could sustain such effort. He needed to save as much as his strength as possible, for he was going to get out of the city as soon as possible.

Turning away from the window, Coleman turned back to face his apartment and tried to force his mind to think of things that he would need, that would be necessary, for the journey ahead of him. He finally wrapped his mind around the thought that he would need coats, things to keep him warm, and shoved his many as possible onto his shoulders.

Before abandoning his apartment for the remainder of his life, Coleman took one last thing with it, sticking it into the pocket of one of the fur-lined coats. He took the gun, the pistol he had uncovered earlier, and kept his fingers curled around the hilt. After all, you never knew what life was going to throw at you.

* * *

Michelle figured that it was impossible to know what life was going to throw your way. Of course, it was something she had been told for her entire life, something she had believed for most of it. After all, you never expected to have your first child at eighteen with a man you had only known a month and then be forced to marry that man. Though she had never believed in Prince Charming and love at first sight, Michelle _had _always believed that she was going to be marrying for love; any other reasons had never crossed her mind. She had never expected to make a life with that man, to raise her daughter and then get pregnant again six years later. But it was all right then, because then she was married, then she was making a family. But her husband obviously didn't feel the same way and you never expected to be walked out on when you had two young daughters.

So, when she looked back at her life, Michelle figured it shouldn't be a surprise to her that life threw curve balls when you least expected them. And, as if this strong storm that everyone was, in someway or another, expecting wasn't enough to throw you off guard, then she figured that suddenly being stranded just north of Kentucky was enough to do it.

Michelle had never been one to trust public transportation and that distrust was being reaffirmed at that very moment. Something in the engine of the public school bus had been rubbed the wrong way and decided that it was no longer going to transport twenty-odd passengers to the border. And so, the bus had broken down in front of what had once been some sort of supermarket that had been looted and broken and now reminded her of something out of one of those old zombie movies. The streets of the once bustling city were empty, giving the whole area a very eerie, ghost-town like feeling.

If Tessa felt the eeriness, she didn't let on, running up and down the aisles of the stalled bus with another young child, yelling and shouting like she was back home. Michelle winced at the sound of her daughter's screechy voice and knew within seconds that she was going to put an end to Tessa's energy anyway that she could.

Tessa, however, appeared to have had enough as well and dropped into the seat beside her mother. "Mom," she began and Michelle already dreaded the question that was going to leave her mouth. "When are we going to go?"

"I don't know." Michelle answered tersely, not looking away from the window which held her attention. "Whenever they fix the damn bus."

Tessa sighed and looked out the window, trying to figure out what so captivated her mother. When she could find nothing, she began speaking again. "Are you worried about Laura?"

"Of course." Michelle answered but both mother and daughter could tell that she had only spoken those words because she was a mother and mothers were supposed to be worried about their children. And while Michelle was worried about her eldest daughter, it wasn't the sort of anxiety that most parents exhibited whenever their child was missing or hurt. She had never gotten along with Laura, never really appreciated her child and always blamed her daughter in some ways for circumstances that she had no control over. Laura knew this, Michelle knew this, it was no surprise to anyone. And, at the moment, Laura was, sadly, one of the last things on her mind.

Tessa watched her mother for a moment before leaning back in her seat. "Do you ever wish that you had told Laura that she couldn't go on the trip?" Michelle didn't answer, seeming to wish that she could just tune out her daughter. "Do you know why Laura went?" Again, there was no answer, no expression of interest. "She told me before she left." She no longer expected Michelle to care about what she had to say and was now speaking for her own amusement. "She didn't even really care about the competition, like she told you. She just wanted to go because there was a boy going. Sam." Tessa had read the name countless times in her sister's diary. It was always _Sam did this _and _Sam smiled at me_ and stuff she thought was so boring and so sugary sweet that he made her sick. Laura's diary was unnaturally boring, since all she talked about was Sam and school.

Michelle sighed and felt a twinge of resentment toward her daughter; Laura had left her family to go to a city that her mother had never been to, abandoned her family in what would soon to be a time of crisis all for a boy. She hoped Laura was having the time of her life.

* * *

Laura sneezed, something she had been doing a lot lately and buried her face in the sleeves of one of the coats she had taken from the master bedroom. Her entire face tingled for it was freezing in the living room despite the fire, and her nose was the coldest part of her body. She figured that was why she kept sneezing; Laura didn't want to think about the possibility that her body was beginning to grow tired of the freezing temperature and she was beginning to catch a cold. But with every sneeze, that possibility seemed more and more like a reality and she was getting worried. A part of her knew that getting sick wasn't an option, it wasn't a road she wanted to go down.

Sam looked over at Laura with concern evident in his features. Laura sneezed once more and looked up, wrinkling her nose and looking almost comical, though Sam didn't feel very much like laughing. With the chill setting into the apartment and the fact that there wasn't anything close to being considered substantial food around, he didn't want to think about what might happen if one of them got sick, seeing as there was little chance of a full recovery. He liked to think even less about the person getting sick being Laura, the one person she couldn't stand to loose.

Laura offered him a faint, forced smile, which managed to put Sam somewhat at ease. He didn't think it was possible, but seeing Laura smile always managed to do that. His attention was pulled away from the dark-haired beauty when Brian spoke, regarding both of his friends quizzically. "You want to what?" He questioned, staring at Sam and Laura with disbelief evident on his face. "Go out there?"

Laura nodded, looking away from Sam. "There's got to be some sort of way we can contact someone." She said, even though she had spoken those very words minutes earlier. "Someway to get help."

"Cell phones aren't going to work." Brian pointed out. "If that's what you were planning on."

"No, it wasn't." Sam spoke now, getting his friend's attention. "Some cars have CB radios; there might even be a police car somewhere out there."

"Out there," Brian gestured toward the window, "there is nothing but snow."

Laura sighed and stifled another sneeze, coughing instead. "But there are still cars buried under the snow." She reminded him. "And there's still the parking garage."

"Which is under water." Brian reminded. "Remember? The whole reason we're stuck in here? Giant tidal wave."

Sam knew that Brian's arguments were valid points but he wanted more then anything for him to be wrong; he wanted to be able to get in touch with someone that could send them home, to rescue them from their surely inevitable fate. "There's still a chance." He protested. "It might not be completely flooded."

Brian sighed and knew that if he didn't want to see reason Sam was blind. And he couldn't stand the expectant look Laura was giving him with her round eyes, like she was waiting for him to give his blessing so that everything would be okay. He looked away from her and focused his attention on the dying fire; they were running out of newspaper to burn and he didn't think it would take very long for the cold to set in once the flames went down.

"It's crazy." Brian mumbled. "Absolutely crazy."

"Then you don't have to come." Laura told him frankly, crossing her arms over her chest as she sneezed, giving her the appearance of a toddler trying to convince her mother that she wasn't sick. "Sam and I will go."

Sam looked at Laura as though her statement was news to him. "No way." He informed her. "You're not going."

Laura looked at Sam and raised an eyebrow. "Why not?" She questioned, unable to keep a little bit of anger from her voice. Even though she knew that Sam's words were spoken because of the desire to protect her, not because he thought she couldn't serve a purpose by going, she couldn't help but be a little ruffled. "You're not going by yourself." She wasn't going to let her Sam go out there alone, where God only knew what could happen to him, even if it meant that she really was going to catch a cold in the process.

Sam looked at her, his eyes filled with patience and unmistakable love. "Because you're getting sick." He pointed out, as though Laura didn't know this herself. "You can't run the risk of getting any sicker."

Laura looked at him, so taken aback by his concern for her that she couldn't come up with any protests. It had been years since anyone had shown any real concern for her well-being and Laura, who had adapted to being the epitome of an independent woman, was surprised to find that she even merited such love. She was reminded once again how much she loved Sam and how it thoroughly destroy her if anything ever happened to him.

And she was about to say this before Sam spoke again, freezing her words before they had a chance to pass her lips. "I'll go down to the parking garage and if it's flooded, then I'll come back." He was saying to both Laura and Brian. "And we'll find another way to get help."

Laura shook her head. "You're not going by yourself." She repeated. "I'm going with you." Her words were punctuated by another sneeze, which did little to help her case.

Sam gave her his patented heart-melting smile and rested his fingers against Laura's cheek. "You're not going." He told her. "And I'll be back before you know it." Every part of him wished that she could come with him, because the thought of leaving Laura for even a moment was enough to make him want to forget the whole thing. But the worry for her health and safety weighed more in his mind then his love for her did in his heart and he knew it was best for her to stay behind. That way, he knew for certain that she was safe.

Laura gave him a look that was pure defeat, a sigh heavy in her throat. She looked at him with reluctance in her brown eyes and said, "You're very stubborn, Sam Hall."

Sam smiled and gave her a light kiss. "I've heard that before." He said. Laura gave him another kiss, wishing that she could keep him with her always, that he would never have to leave her alone.

There was a heavy feeling in her heart as Laura wrapped her arms around Sam's shoulders, pulling herself against him and resting her head on his shoulder. It was a feeling she couldn't shake, the knowledge that something was wrong, more wrong then their current situation. "You'd better come back to me." She whispered before she could stop herself and force her rational thought to kick in.

Sam felt his heart break when he heard Laura's voice, felt her words sink deep into his body and attempt to talk him out of going. Every part of him abhorred leaving her but it was something that had to be done. It was only then that he realized he was using the same excuse he had heard his father use so many times before, the words 'it just has to be done' passing his lips whenever he got on a plane, whenever he left his family behind once again. But he was not his father, he was not going to leave behind the woman he loved.

"Don't worry." Sam offered her a casual, brave smile backed by emotion that he didn't feel. "I'll be back before you even know I'm gone." He doubted that, but it was so easy to offer false courage, false strength. He kissed Laura's cheek and pulled the blanket tighter around her shoulders, trying to warm her as best he could. "I love you."

Laura nodded once. "I love you too." She told him, willing herself to stay put, to keep from throwing her arms around Sam's shoulders and keep him from leaving the apartment.

With a final look and a final kiss, Sam stood and headed toward the door of the apartment, motioning for Brian to follow him. Laura watched him disappear in silence, her mind already made up, as it had been ever since she and Sam had decided upon the idea of using a radio to call for help. Sam could be very stubborn sometimes. But so could she.

Once they had reached the door to the apartment, Sam turned toward his friend. "You've got to make sure that she stays." He told Brian, his voice low enough so that Laura couldn't hear.

Brian glanced over his shoulder to where Laura sat in the living room, absently tossing one of the remaining pieces of newspaper into the smoldering flames. He looked back at Sam and nodded once. "Just be careful, man."

Sam offered him a grin, backed by a carelessness that he certainly didn't feel and shrugged his shoulders. "I always am." He remarked and turned toward the door. With a final deep breath, he forced himself to keep from glancing over his shoulder to see the woman he was leaving behind. He knew that if he looked at Laura, looked into her beautiful face, then there would be no way he could walk out the door and into the freezing beyond that was on the other side of his only safe haven.

And so, Sam forced himself to open the door and put one foot in front of the other, stepping into the hallway. As soon as he was out of the apartment, he was hit with a chill ten times stronger then the air in the kitchen had been, causing him to draw in a sharp breath and goose-bumps to cover every inch of his body. Snow and icicles covered the floor and walls, making the once grand carpeted hallway appear to be nothing more then a frozen wasteland. And to Sam, that was exactly what it felt like.

Swallowing and doubting that he would find any way to get in touch with anyone outside of New York, Sam headed down the hallway, his shoes crunching over the piling snow, in the direction he believed the stairwell to be. Never in his life had Sam felt so alone.

* * *

Once the door to the apartment had shut, Brian sighed deeply and wondered if he should have said something or done something in an attempt to talk Sam out of going. Though he had faith in his friend, he was certain that the mission to find someway to send for help was a fruitless and semi-suicide mission. Brian knew that he should have done something to keep Sam from leaving but he doubted that his friend would have listened. Sam was very stubborn, just as Laura had said, and there was no talking him out of something when he had his mind set.

With another sigh, Brian turned away from the door -there was nothing more that he could do- and peered into the living room. A part of him wasn't surprised to find that Laura wasn't sitting in the living room where Sam had left her. The living room was completely empty aside from the dying fire and the dwindling piles of newspaper. Brian felt his shoulders sag and he shook his head, staring down at the kitchen floor; though it was highly doubtful that Laura had managed to sneak past him in the seconds that he had been turned away from the door, he still knew that he'd better find her before she got that chance. Otherwise, Sam was going to kill him, there was no other way around it.

And so, Brian started in the living room, peering down the hallway, hoping that Laura might have just headed to the master bedroom to sulk until Sam returned. It didn't look too promising; the rooms appeared just as empty and silent as they had moments before, when they were all in the living room.

Brian was about to turn back and face the living room when he heard the apartment door open and shut quickly, leaving no room for doubt that Laura had pulled the wool over his eyes. When they had been kids, Laura had been the champion at playing hide-and-seek; the kids in their neighborhood, back when they had lived on the same street nearly eleven years ago, had always wanted Laura to be the seeker, since she could never be found. She was so lithe, quick and quiet that every child playing the game would spend hours looking for the girl when she was only feet away from where they stood. And it seemed to Brian that, even after all these years, Laura was still the champion at hide-and-seek.

Though he knew it was too late, Brian turned toward the door, not surprised to see nothing but an empty kitchen. Laura was gone, having ventured after her Sam. It was then that Brian realized how perfect they were for one-another; they were both stubborn as hell.

* * *

"Sam." The boy in questioned turned, brow knitting in confusion, trying to figure out if he really had just heard someone call his name. It seemed impossible, for he was alone in the hallway. Or so he had thought. Sam was surprised to see Laura heading down the hallway in his direction with a semi-sheepish smile on her face, the quilt drawn high around her shoulders.

"Laura." Sam said once he had managed to get over the surprise of seeing the brunette in what he had thought was an empty hallway. "What happened to staying in the apartment?" He was silently almost pleased that she had shown up, whether it was the smartest decision or not, glad for her company in the eerie hallway.

Laura shrugged. "I'm stubborn." She told him frankly, her weary brown eyes sparkling with amusement.

Sam couldn't help but smile, pulling Laura to him and kissing her briefly on the forehead. Any anger he might have felt toward her had vanished instantly, though he couldn't say the same for the worry that he felt at her being out of the relative safety of the apartment. He mentally chided himself for being so concerned about Laura; she was a big girl, after all, and she could take care of herself. However, he figured that was what it was like to be in love, to care and worry so much about a person regardless of whether they were capable of caring for and worrying about themselves.

"So," Laura said, breaking Sam's train of thought, "do you have a plan?" She looked at him with her large brown eyes. "What if the parking garage is under water?" It was a silent fear that both of them had had ever since deciding that the only way to get rescued from their impossible situation was to make things happen themselves.

Sam sighed. "Then we'll just have to go to Plan B."

Laura stared at him expectantly. "Which is?"

"I'm hoping it's not going to come to that." Sam told her candidly. He didn't know if he could come up with another plan for being rescued in the short amount of time they had if the parking garage turned out to be flooded. It was something he didn't want to think about because thinking about it seemed to be like admitting defeat and that was something he wasn't ready to do, even if it seemed like there was nothing else he could do.

Laura nodded once and took his hand, her cold fingers offering little warmth. More then anything, however, Sam took her gesture to mean that, regardless of what happened, she trusted him, she had faith in him and he should have faith in himself. He wondered what he had done to earn such love, such trust and hoped that he wouldn't betray her confidence in him. He had promised that he would protect her, never let anything happen to her and it was a promise that Sam had every intention of keeping. Even if it was easier said then done.

_I'm so very sorry that it's been so long since I've updated; I have no excuse...just that I'm a loser. Anyway, thanks for all of the really great reviews, I'm glad that everyone likes this story. I'm trying to improve with the typos, so if there's still some mistakes, sorry again. So, keep up those great reviews! Lucie: I hope Ashlee hasn't been hit by a bus...hehe..._


	11. Failed Attempts to Fly

* * *

"I'm frightened by what I see but somehow I know there's much more to come. Immobilized by my fear and soon to be blinded by tears.

-Evanescence, _Whisper

* * *

_

Chapter Eleven

Failed Attempts to Fly

In the moments that he had been out of the apartment, Sam realized that the living room had been an oven compared to the air temperature in the hallway. If he had doubted the severity of the storm before and the changing climate outside before, he certainly didn't doubt it now. And he also didn't doubt the seriousness of their situation. It was then that Sam realized, perhaps for the first time, that if they didn't succeed in contacting someone and sending for help, they were going to die. And looking over at Laura, who was shivering as she searched around for a way to get out of the apartment and into the snowy city beyond, Sam vowed that he was not going to let anything happen to her. He would die first before he willing let harm come to her.

The sound of shattering glass pulled Sam instantly out of his thoughts and caused his attention to focus down the hallway, where the noise had come from. He saw Laura standing by a window that had been previously hidden behind frost, with her face turned away to keep it from getting struck by any of the frozen glass shards that had broken out when she had shattered the window with her elbow. Sam hurried over to her, impressed and pleased with her actions; he knew he would have spent unnecessary time searching around for a door or an exit of some kind. It was already becoming clear that the least amount of time they spent in the cold, the better.

Sam was just further reminded of this revelation when Laura sneezed again, looking at him with a sheepish look in her eyes. She knew now, without a doubt, that she was getting sick and that it wasn't going to help their situation any; it was the same feeling she had gotten when she had been six years old and had come down with the flu. She could feel the sickness creeping into her body but dreaded telling her mother because then Michelle had been working three jobs just to pay for someone to keep Tessa during the day. And Laura felt that way now, dreading to tell Sam because it seemed as though saying it would make it so much more real, as though she wouldn't become sick until she admitted to it.

But Sam couldn't be fooled, it appeared; Laura could tell this by the look he was giving her, his eyes filled with concern. "Laura," he said, drawing her close to him, "go back to the apartment. I'll be fine."

Laura shook her head but didn't pull away from Sam; though she knew it was only her imagination, she felt warmer when she was close to him and she didn't want that feeling to go away. "You're not going to get rid of me that easy." She mumbled.

Sam rolled his eyes, even though he knew that she couldn't see him; if only she knew how ironic her words were, how wrong she was. He would never want to get rid of her, not after he had spent so long trying to get her in the first place and that further fueled his desire to get her back to the apartment where she was at least out of the icy weather that was slowly making her cold worse. "It's not safe out here, Laura." He told her, both of them knowing the truth in his words. Who knew what lay just outside the apartment, what new kinds of horrors had been drawn out as a result of the sudden change in climate. Anything could be beyond the building and Sam would rather take the chance of risking it alone then risking Laura. "I don't want anything to happen to you-"

"And I don't want anything to happen to you." Laura lifted her head and stared into his deep blue eyes. "Sam, you're no safer out there then I would be." She watched him closely. "I love you, Sam, and I'm not going to let you go alone."

Sam could find nothing to say; it was so nice, so simple, to hear Laura tell him that she loved him, to hear her say the words he had dreamed of hearing from her. And it was because of that and the love he saw shining in her round brown eyes that he couldn't come up with an argument, that he couldn't tell her to stay behind.

Laura took his silence as an agreement to her words and looked back toward the broken window. "Let's go," she prodded, "I didn't break this window to let in the view."

And what a view it was. The very tops of the tallest buildings in New York City were barely visible over the drifts of snow that had collected on top of the iced over water that had flooded New York City. The piles of snow, themselves, were several feet high and there were still more flakes drifting down from the sky.

Adding to the strange scene laid out before the teenagers was the fact that hundred upon hundreds of people were walking through the snow, fleeing from the city before things got worse. Though Laura couldn't have guessed where they were going or even how they thought that they stood a chance against the prolonged exposure to the weather, she still admired them for their courage. Just because she and Sam were smart enough to think of an alternative way to get rescued, didn't mean that they were brave enough to step out of the known safety of the apartment for a long period of time and really take destiny into their own hands. Still, Laura wasn't going to be the first one to suggest leaving the city by foot; in fact, she was pretty content with reaching someone past the land of ice and snow and sending for a rescue mission.

Sam looked over at her, studying her closely before staring back at the mass exodus. "Do you think they'll make it?" He didn't know why he was asking, why he needed to know.   
Laura sighed and shrugged, unsure of how to answer. "I hope so." She mumbled. Because if those people could make it, then so could they.

* * *

It didn't take Coleman long to realize that being out of the apartment, attempting to make an escape, was even worse then being stuck inside. The cold was unlike anything he had ever experienced and the biting wind did nothing to alleviate the chill that soon enclosed his entire body. Even in his feverish state, the temperature was unbearable and he found that the tiny beads of sweat that had collected on his forehead had quickly turned to ice.

Coleman saw the hundreds of other people, people smarter then he, dragging along their belongings on makeshift sleds, bundled up to the best of their ability, walking with their heads bowed against the sharp wind. He watched them and envied them because they were sane and capable of making it out of the city, while he was barely capable of putting one foot in front of the other.

Coleman quickly realized that he didn't have the strength, didn't have the energy, didn't have the capacity to carry himself through the thick snow. He reached a ship –a ship! In the middle of New York City- that had been breached against several skyscrapers before his famished, shaking body could no longer carry him. His knees buckled and he collapsed, the packed snow biting into his exposed skin.

With a frustrated sigh, he attempted to lift himself again but could only succeed in pulling himself into a sitting position. Panting and exhausted, Coleman leaned against the icy side of the barge, his head spinning, eyes cloudy. Was he really even sitting next to a ship? It seemed so impossible that a ship could have reached New York City and he wouldn't have been at all surprised to learn that he was just seeing things, that the people and the ship were all figments of his imagination, created by his hunger.

Was the world really crumbling down around him? Or was it all in his imagination.

* * *

"Sam," Laura said through chattering teeth, catching his attention, "where are we supposed to find something to call for help?" The wind whipped her curls in front of her face, forcing her to retrieve her hands from the moderately warm pockets of the coat she was wearing and tuck the stray locks behind her ears. "There's nothing but snow." 

With growing desperation, Sam realized that the brunette was right; there was little left of New York aside from ice, snow and the top layers of icy buildings. There was no where to seek help, no where to seek shelter aside from the apartment they had left and Sam was beginning to wonder if there was anything they could do.

The cold was growing worse, if that was at all possible, or perhaps it was because the snow was up to Sam's knees and soaking through the fabric of his jeans and seeping into his tennis shoes. If they didn't find something soon, then they would be forced to retreat back to the apartment or freeze to death.

Refusing to give up so soon, Sam let his eyes scan the desolate, frozen wasteland before him, trying to pick up on something either one of them might have missed before. Beside him, Laura was searching as well, pressed close against him, attempting to fight off some of the cold.

With a sense of relief, Sam's eyes finally settled on the Russian barge that had captured their attention days before, which had been beached among several buildings, trapped in the ice. "There." He said, drawing Laura's attention to the icy ship. "There's got to be a radio on that ship."

Laura followed his gaze and studied the ship; the side of the barge was slick with ice and there was snow piling up on the deck. If there was anything useful on the ship, she prayed it hadn't been damaged in the cold. The acid in batteries was libel to freeze in such extreme temperatures and the cold could have frozen any of the still working parts inside.

But, she had to admit, if there was something left in New York City that was going to save them, it was going to be on that ship. Laura looked over at Sam, who was searching the side of the ship with his eyes, attempting to find an entrance, and felt the growing sense of approaching disaster fill her once more. She knew it was stupid and groundless but every inch of her body was telling her to turn back, to go back to the apartment and find another way to escape the city. But Laura knew there was no other way to escape; this was their last and only chance and it was stupid to abandon their search just because she had an icy feeling in the pit of her stomach. Yet, that didn't change the feeling, didn't make it go away; more then anything, the growing pit in her stomach reminded Laura of the way she had felt on her way home from school the day her father had left. The feeling that she was about to loose something close to her, that her world was about to collapse.

"What's the matter?" Sam questioned, pulling Laura away from her thoughts and causing her to focus on his concerned face. "Are you all right?"

Laura nodded. "Fine." She said, though she wasn't quite sure if she was. Try as she might, she couldn't force the pit in her stomach to diminish. She was being stupid, and being stupid was wasting time. "Let's just get this over with." She started toward the barge but Sam grabbed her arm and caused her to turn back in his direction.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" He questioned. "You can go back to the apartment and-"

Laura silenced him by putting her lips against his, a technique that she found worked rather well. "Listen to me," she said once the kiss was broken, "I am not going to let you go alone, so quit trying to be the hero. Understand?"

Sam smiled. "Yes ma'am." He moved to kiss her again but, reluctantly, Laura pulled out of his reach.

"I mean it, Sam." She said. "I'm not going to let anything happen to you." It was that feeling, that sense of looming disaster that was forcing her to speak. She knew she was being foolish, but she couldn't stand the thought of anything happening to Sam, couldn't stand the thought of losing him. It was that old saying, coming into play again: better safe then sorry.

Sam nodded, entirely serious now, and brushed Laura's curls away from her face. "Nothing is going to happen to me, baby, I promise." He kissed her again, briefly. He regretting allowing her to put herself in danger like this but he knew that Laura wasn't going to willingly return to the apartment and he loved her even more for that. He didn't think he could do this alone and whether he could or not didn't really matter. Sam didn't want to do it alone; he wanted Laura with him.   
Laura tried to smile but knew that the gesture came out forced; if Sam noticed, he didn't let on. Regardless of what misgivings either one of them might have, they started toward the barge, silently steeling themselves against whatever they might find there.

* * *

Lucy was still stunned at how quickly her life was falling down around her. Losing Sam was one thing, perhaps the most important thing, but it was still something a strong woman could move past in the following years. But losing all her memories of her child, losing the home she had raised him in, losing every aspect of her life was something that Lucy couldn't even begin to fathom and she felt the armor she had built around herself in the past few days begin to crumble.

As Jack spoke, explaining to his ex-wife that the President had ordered an evacuation, he could tell that Lucy was falling apart. Whether she would show it or not, she was dying inside and he was the one killing her. "If we don't get as far South as possible," Jack forced himself to continue, "then we're just going to be caught in the storm."

Lucy was silent for a moment, looking at her husband with a flat expression on her face. "We have to leave." She said, restating what he had just told her. "I have to leave my home? Sam's home?"

Jack visibly winced at the sound of his son's name, still aching at the thought of leaving his son to die. If there was a way to rescue Sam, then he was certain he would have done it; but going up to New York would have been a suicide mission and he would have died as well as his son. And Jack knew right then that he couldn't leave Lucy; Lucy was the only family he had left and she needed him now, whether she would admit it or not. They needed each other, because they would never make it through alone.

"Yes." Jack answered, for there was no other answer for him to give her. "And we've got to go immediately, before the storm has a chance to grow worse and there's no chance of leaving."

Lucy was still studying him with that flat expression, the expression of a dead woman. "Immediately." She mumbled, as though trying to figure out the meaning of the word.

"The sooner the better. They'll have clothes and toiletries at the American Embassy." Jack explained.

"I can't even go to my house and get my own clothes? Clothes for Sam?" Jack could tell that Lucy was still holding onto whatever hope she could that Sam would be coming back to them. "I can't take anything; no pictures, no blankets...nothing?" Lucy looked so broken, so lifeless that Jack wanted to do whatever he could to bring back the woman he had fallen in love with.

Jack shrugged, helpless. "I'm sorry, Lucy, I truly am but there's no time to waste packing." He told her. "We've got to leave as soon as possible."

Lucy sighed and leaned against Jack's desk, as though she could no longer support herself. She knew it was no good to argue with Jack because he was right; if they got trapped in the storm, then they would die and that was unacceptable. If her son really was dead, if her Sam was never going to come back to her, then she had to live for him, had to live so that everyone knew of her son. But if Sam did survive, did make it down to Mexico, then he had to have a mother waiting there for him.

_Oh my Sam_, Lucy thought with an inward cry, _please come back_. But what would he be coming back to? Not the house he had grown up in, not the city he had made his home in; Sam would be coming to a strange country, trying to make sense of the end of the world. But there was still something for him to return to.

_Come back to me_.

* * *

Laura didn't think she had ever seen something as eerie as the deserted Russian ghost ship. The decks were entirely white, covered with snow and ice, and the barge seemed to be enclosed in a silence that could not be broken by the rest of the sounds that had filled New York. She could no longer year the hushed voices of those fleeing the city but she tried to tell herself it was just because they had gotten too far for even the wind to carry the noise; it was not because she had stepped into some sort of different reality, where there was no sound and no warmth. Laura shuddered and tried to push the thoughts from her mind; the solitude was really getting to her.

Sam was kicking aside the piles of snow, attempting to dig through the whiteness and find access into the barge itself. Shivering, Laura decided to take her mind off the quiet by helping him, brushing her gloved hands against the deck, an action that only caused her to shiver even more. The snow was seeping into her gloves, freezing her hands and turning them into icicles. The first thing she was going to do when they got help, assuming they managed to get rescued, was take the hottest shower of her entire life.

"Here." Sam's voice caused Laura to look up, squinting against the driving wind in his direction. He had found a trap-door of sorts, which would lead down into the bowels of the ship. She could vaguely see the beginnings of a metal ladder that would take them down into the barge and to whatever was waiting there below.

For a moment, Laura remained where she was, trying to figure out why her mind had convinced her that there was some sort of boogeyman waiting in the shadows. If there was anything in the ship, it was a way out of the frozen city, a way to get help. There was nothing down there waiting to swallow them up; Laura had learned throughout the course of her life that the real boogeyman didn't waste time hiding the shadows.

Pursing her chapped lips, Laura hurried over to where Sam was waiting for her; sticking close to him would put her mind at ease because, somehow, he always made her feel safe. "I'll go first." Sam said and started down the icy metal stairs, disappearing into the darkness.

When Laura could no longer see him, she followed after him without allowing her eyes time to adjust to the blackness. Her tennis shoe slipped on one of the icy railings and she cried out, grabbing onto the railings above her before she had the chance to lose her balance and fall.

From below, Sam looked up, suddenly panicked. "Laura?" He shouted, his voice echoing throughout the empty ship. "Baby, what's the matter?"

"Nothing." Laura said once her heart had stopped pounding. It seemed like those near death experiences that always got you more jittery then anything else. "I'm fine." Taking a deep breath, she forced herself to slowly continue climbing down the ladder, not allowing herself to look down. She didn't think she had ever been more relieved to touch solid ground beneath her feet.

Not that what was beneath her feet could be considered solid ground. Laura and Sam were on a metal catwalk that didn't appear to be at all solid; if Laura had glanced down, she could have seen the rest of the ship below through the slats in the metal. Pipes ran crisscrossed above, twisting together in the shadows, silent and icy.

As his eyes adjusted better to the dimness, Sam could see more of the barge before him; the rickety metal catwalk continued throughout the whole of the ship, leading toward more metal flights of stairs and doors, which hopefully led to solid hallways. It was in those hallways and the rooms beyond them that they would find the radio that they were looking for, yet Sam couldn't bring himself to start forward. He had never been a fan of heights and it was even worse standing on a narrow, metal 'floor' that you could see through.

Laura took his hand and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. Sam looked at her and smiled, grateful once again that she had actually come with him. Taking a deep breath, Sam mumbled, "Let's get this over with," and started forward. The catwalk beneath them groaned with every step and Laura held Sam's hand tighter as she followed after him, trying not to look down.

Not looking down, however, was difficult to do when the ground was groaning beneath you. It wasn't as though becoming a sailor had ever been an option in Laura's future, but she was definitely ruling it out now.

Without warning, one of the pieces of metal beneath Laura's feet gave way and went tumbling down below. Laura shouted Sam's name as she fell, reflexively tightening her grip on his hand to stop herself from falling; her free hand clawed at the metal catwalk that hadn't fallen, but she found it difficult to find purchase because of her wet gloves.

Sam was so caught off guard by the sudden change in Laura's position and the fact that he was now the only thing supporting her weight that he stumbled backward as well, hitting the metal beneath him hard enough to rattle his teeth. But he didn't give himself the chance to think about the sudden jolt as he held tightly to Laura's wrist in an attempt to keep her from slipping, trying to keep himself from panicking. The look in Laura's eyes, the panic he saw did little to ease his mind; she was silently pleading with him not to let her fall.

Sam's other hand found Laura's and he managed to pull the brunette up with ease, relief flowing through his body. Laura threw her arms around his shoulders and pulled herself against him, holding onto him tightly. Her heart was pounding in her chest and Sam knew her mind was going over all the things that might have happened to her if she had fallen. He knew that was what he was thinking; the fall itself was no more then fifteen feet but the impact would have been enough to seriously injure her, giving Laura any number of injuries that she might not have been able to easily recover from given their current situation. And there was no telling if the floor beneath her would have held under the impact. It was better not to think about what might have happened, since nothing had happened. Laura was safe and that was the most important thing; thinking past that would do no good.

Laura took a deep breath, attempting to calm her racing heart and lifted her head off Sam's chest. "And to think I was worried about you." She mumbled with a wry smile. She didn't feel much like cracking a smile but she figured it was the better alternative, better then imagining herself after having taken the fall.

Sam kissed her on the forehead and allowed his breathing to return to normal as well. That was too close a call for him and he figured the least amount of time they spent aboard the barge, the better. He slowly got to his feet, helping Laura up as well and keeping her close to him, keeping his arm around her waist. "Are you sure you're all right?" Sam questioned, concerned.

Laura allowed herself to glance down, studying the bent piece of metal several feet below that had fallen from beneath her feet. "Considering." She mumbled. "I'm fine." She looked up again and tried to force all other thoughts from her mind. "Let's just find that damn radio."

Their walk on the rest of the metal catwalk proved to be, thankfully, uneventful and they reached the first solid hallway with ease. The first hallway yielded a handful of doors, each of which were closed and undoubtedly locked. Laura wondered what had happened to the sailors that had been on board the ship when the tidal wave had struck and decided it was best not to think about that either. The barge appeared to be deserted and it would do no good to think about why that was so.

Sam tried one of the doors and found that it was indeed locked; he kicked at the door but it didn't buckle beneath his assault. Laura tried another door and the knob turned beneath her hand and the door swung open. She peeked inside, squinting her eyes against the dimness and ran her fingers along the side of the wall, hunting for the light switch. She flicked the switch and the light clicked on; however, the bulb popped upon lighting, the glass shattering onto the floor. Laura jumped back reflexively in surprise, but remained in the doorway, attempting to peer into the room before her.

The room was filled with bunk beds, all empty with tangled sheets; the sailors staying in the beds had clearly left in a hurry, probably in order to keep their barge under control against something they never could have bested. Shivering, Laura entered the room and went through the drawers of the single dresser, much like she had done with the drawers in J.D.'s apartment. But it was easier now because she didn't know the sailors who no longer required the clothes from the dresser and she didn't allow herself the chance to dwell upon the lives they might have had. She was learning something now, something she thought she would never have to learn: she was learning about survival and how you had to survive even when others hadn't.

Laura uncovered a penlight from amidst the tangled undergarments and flicked it on to make sure that it still worked. A tiny beam of light illuminated the room; it wasn't much, but it was better then total darkness.

Eagerly, Laura left the room and headed back into the hallway where Sam was checking the other doors. He turned to her. "Find anything?" He questioned hopefully.

"Just this." Laura gave him the penlight, which Sam took gratefully. He shined the light down the hallway, which illuminated several other door handles. Taking Laura's hand again, as though unwilling to let her get too far from him, Sam started down the opposite end of the hallway, stopping to try door handles.

One door finally opened, giving them access to the room they had been hoping to find all along. The window to the control room was cracked and covered with frost but still let in a little light, making the penlight unnecessary. Knobs, switches, buttons and glass screens lined the panels before them, as well as the walls on either side. Most of the radar and control screens had been shattered by the glass but Sam didn't think too much of it; they didn't need the radar anyway. "Look for a radio," Sam instructed the brunette beside him, "anything we can use to call for help."

Laura methodically searched the walls, pressing several buttons in an attempt to rouse any of the equipment but nothing responded. She finally reached a small radio, much like those she had seen in police cruisers and switched it on. A smile spread across her face when the lights snapped on, brightening the room considerably and a low whine emitted from the speaker.

At the sound, Sam turned, a grin stretching across his face as well. "Leave it on the frequency." He suggested as he headed in her direction. Laura didn't touch any of the buttons but retrieved the handset hanging off the cord and raised it to her lips.

"Is there anyone out there?" Laura said into the speaker. "Hello?" Her words were met with nothing but whines and static. She tried again but got the same response; shrugging helplessly, she looked over at Sam. "What should we do?"

Sam studied the radio for a moment before looking back the brunette. "It looks like it can be moved; maybe if we take it back to the apartment, Brian will have better luck then we did." He suggested and attempted to pull the radio off the metal shelf it rested on.

The radio slid away easily, having never been secured down despite the rough seas the barge surely would have encountered. The radio nearly slipped out of Sam's grip but Laura caught it before it could hit the ground and held it tightly, keeping it from falling again. "We've got the radio." She mumbled through chattering teeth. "Now let's get the hell out of here."

Sam didn't have a problem with that.

* * *

Though it seemed impossible, Sam thought that might have gotten even colder since the last time he had been in the open air. The wind was stronger then it had been, that was for certain, and it drove the biting cold and falling flakes of snow into his face. He looked over at Laura and saw that she had bent her head against the driving wind, flakes tangled and freezing in her curls. Sam wished that the snowfall was nothing but a seasonal thing and that he was back home, enjoying the frosty weather with the girl of his dreams, strolling lazily down street-lamp lit streets as evening fell instead of fighting the growing cold to ensure their survival.

Laura clutched the radio close to her chest, squinting her eyes against the snowflakes that had frozen on her lashes. The worst part about being in the storm, she knew, was that upon reaching the apartment once again she wasn't going to get any warmer. Even if Brian had managed to build the fire up, the flames could not hope to melt away some of the chill that had enveloped her body. Regardless of this knowledge, Laura looked forward to getting back to the apartment and curling up in front of the fire; it was only a matter of time now, she hoped, until they got help. They only had to wait a while longer.

Together, Sam and Laura headed toward the side of the barge with the icy, metal ladder which had allowed them access to the deck of the ship. Laura turned toward the ladder and prepared to descend first but Sam paused and looked back at the ship. "Maybe we should try and find some food." He mumbled thoughtfully. "Anything that we could use in the apartment."

Knowing that Sam had a point, Laura turned to follow him back into the barge but the damp soles of her tennis shoes slipped on the icy deck and she fell backward, off the side of the ship. She landed in the piled snow beneath her, the fall doing nothing more then driving the air out of her lungs. Laura just couldn't believe her luck; she didn't think she had ever fallen that much before in her life.

Laura took a deep breath and shook her head, trying to shake loose the ice and snow that had clung to her hair and skin. Luckily, the radio was unharmed, still resting against her stomach, unfazed by the fall.

Sam peered over the side of the railing, a comical look of concern on his face. When he saw that Laura had also been unharmed, his look of concern turned into a smile and he rolled his eyes. "Good Lord, woman." He said. "Have you always had this much trouble standing on your own two feet?"

Laura rolled her eyes. "Shut up, Sam." She mumbled, pushing herself up onto her elbows. That was when her eyes settled on the nearly still form of a man leaning against the side of the barge; he was so motionless, so still that, at first, she thought that he was dead.

But when she locked eyes with this man, Laura could tell that he wasn't dead; there was something in his eyes that frightened her, a complete insanity unlike anything she had ever seen before. What scared her even more was what she saw resting in his lap, something that seemed just as out of place as the tidal wave that had swallowed New York City. Resting in the lap of the man who hadn't looked away from her since her tumble off the barge was the pistol that seemed to have an almost unnatural glint to it.

Sam seemed to notice a change in her demeanor because the smile disappeared off his face and he followed her gaze in an attempt to see what had captured her attention. It seemed that his gaze settled first on the gun that the man was holding and he instantly reacted, jumping off the side of the barge and letting his knees and the piles of snow soak up most of the impact.

It seemed as though Sam's actions broke the spell that had frozen Laura and the man that the teenagers would never know as Coleman in place. Laura stumbled to her feet, holding the radio close against her like a shield and Coleman stood as well, looking even more confused and frightened then Laura felt. He clutched the gun in his shaking hands, jabbing it at the brunette as though she was something more a teenage girl; in his feverish and confused mind, perhaps she was.

Sam was at Laura's side instantly, stepping in front of her in an attempt to better protect her if the feverish gunman decided to fire. He had never been faced with a situation such as this, had never seen death as close as he was now seeing the muzzle of the pistol only yards away from him and the experience was a little unnerving. Yet, his life was not flashing before his eyes, he was not remembering moments of his childhood that he had sought to repress, was not imagining the life he could have led. He found himself thinking of nothing but what was happening at that moment and how to get out of it. Sam figured it was that feeling if immortality that most teenagers seemed to have, the feeling that death was not close enough to be something to worry about. The feeling that they were much too young to die.

For a moment, time seemed to freeze and all Laura could think about was the shaking muzzle of the gun pointed in her direction. But her mind had yet to register, it seemed, that the gun was no longer pointed at her but at Sam, who was standing in front of her. And her life wasn't flashing before her eyes either; all she could think about was never being able to see Sam again, to be with him and to kiss him, to know if he was happy later on in life.

"Listen man," Sam began, his voice shaky, holding up his hand to further entreat the man to think about what he was doing. At his motion and his voice, the man seemed to tense up even more, his finger curling around the trigger of the shaking pistol. "We don't want any trouble. Just don't shoot."

Laura watched the man, who didn't seem to even hear what Sam had said and tried to think about how the man had ended up like he had. What had happened to him to make him crazy enough to point a gun at a couple of teenagers and seriously think about pulling the trigger. What was going through his mind at that moment?

Sam cleared his throat. "Just let us past." He attempted, giving Laura a gentle nudge, a silent signal to start backing up.

The man studied Sam for a moment before lowering the gun a fraction, looking as though he was attempting to make sense of what was going on. Laura figured that they would have gotten away without any further conflict if it hadn't been for the radio in her hands. The very radio that they had hung their existence upon choose that exact moment to spring to life, someone having stumbled upon the radio frequency and attempting to make contact.

With a loud whine, a voice cut through the radio static. "_Hello, is there someone out there..._?" The grabbled voice questioned through the mass of static that escaped from the speakers.

Laura jumped in surprise, dropping the radio at the exact same time that the startled man holding the shaking gun pulled the trigger.


	12. Counting to Five

Okay...wow...I really can't believe I'm actually writing another one of these author's notes. I actually had almost given up on this story but the amazing reviews you guys kept sending me, urging me to keep writing and actually assuring me you like this story made me want to get over my lazy writing block and write another chapter. Boy...believe me: I had never planned on stopping this story. If I had, I never would have ended it where I did. But, here is another chapter, a little late but here regardless; I can't promise how often this story will be updated, but hopefully it won't take months again. Well, I guess this is the end to this author's note; thanks again for all the fabulous reviews! Keep them up, that's why I finally wrote another chapter. And to my best friend Lucie: Capt. Lovejoy.

* * *

"Until one day the rain fell, as thick as black oil and in her heart she knew something was wrong. She went running through the orchard, screaming 'no God, don't take him from me'. And by the time she got there, she feared he already had gone." -_Painters, _Jewel

* * *

Chapter Twelve

Counting to Five

Sam heard Laura shouting his name, her voice sounding so high and panicked and far away, and he felt his body grow cold at the thought of any harm befalling her. If that bastard had shot his Laura, then he wouldn't live to see another...

But all those thoughts left his mind as Sam felt his head begin to spin and his legs begin to grow weak. It was when his torso began to grow hot with a pain unlike any that he had ever felt before and he realized just what had happened. It hadn't been Laura that had been shot, it had been him.

Laura felt her own knees buckle and she dropped to the snowy ground, ignoring everything around her aside from Sam, who had collapsed seconds before, unable to take her eyes off the growing crimson stain on his side. It seemed impossible, so impossible, that something like this could have happened; after everything, everything they had already been through, it could not end like this.

It was difficult to force her mind to focus on something other then the strangling sense of grief that had entered her body but Laura managed to turn her thoughts to the first aid class her mother had insisted she take during her freshman year. The most important thing, or at least the only thing she could remember, was that pressure had to be placed on the wound to stop the bleeding, to keep the victim from bleeding to death.

Her teeth chattering and her entire body shaking, no longer from the cold but from the surge of emotions coursing through her body, Laura pressed her palms over the bullet wound (bullet wound! she would have never thought someone she loved would be suffering from something like that) and repeated the importance of pressure over and over again in a study murmur like it was her mantra. And, at the moment, it was.

Sam squeezed his eyes shut against the searing pain which had seemed to take over his entire body and he curled his hands into tight fists. He was hardly aware of Laura's hands against his chest; he wasn't aware of anything other then the pain. A single tear squeezed out from beneath his eyelid and rolled, hot, down his cold cheek.

"Pressure on the wound." Laura reminded herself once again, unaware of her own tears, spilling down her cheeks. "Put pressure on the wound." She pressed her hands down against the hot, sticky wound on Sam's chest. He groaned and she lifted her hands slightly, unwilling to believe that she had been the one to cause him pain.

With a labored breath, Sam formed himself to open his eyes and look upon the face of the angel who had so captivated his heart and attention for nearly a year, who now seemed even more like an angel then ever before. For the first time, he realized just how close he was to death, closer then he had come, even in the past few days and he wondered if her face would be the last thing he would see. It seemed so absurd, to impossible to Sam that he might die of something as bizarre as a gunshot after he had survived so many other things all ready. Was he really going to die now? Was he really never going to get the chance to leave behind this frozen wasteland and see his parents again, to live the life that had been promised to him, to be able to spend the rest of his years with Laura? Sam didn't want to think of such things, to allow his mind to turn to such morbid thoughts but it was impossible to think of anything else. It was difficult not to think of Death when you were at its doorstep.

"Laura." The girl looked up with a panicked fire dancing in her eyes when she heard Sam manage to whisper out her name. He made a feeble gesture to reach for her but she dismissed it quickly.

"Don't move." Laura managed to command with an authority she didn't know she had. It amazed her that her voice wasn't shivering with the fear that was coursing through her body, that she was able to take control of anything at all. "It'll only make it worse." She had no idea what to do. For the first time in her life Laura Chapman was utterly out of ideas and that frightened her; she had never been completely clueless for in the back of her mind there had always been some useless tidbit of information waiting to make itself known to help her out before things got too bad. But things had spiraled out of control before she could even blink and her mind was empty, nothing was hovering in her thoughts to save her now.

As Sam looked at Laura's still beautiful face, he was struck by how lost and lonely she appeared all of the sudden; it was as though she was the only girl in the world, faced with an impossible task, something that was slowly killing her inside whether she realized it or not. Her face was as white as the snow around them, her chattering lips turning blue with the frigid temperatures but she didn't even seem to notice as her brown eyes searched for something that she would certainly never find. Her entire body was shaking and Laura had somehow lost the façade of control that she had never possessed in the first place.

Laura looked up from her crimson hands, which were damp and sticky with the blood of the man she loved, when Sam said her name again. Her tears had no sense stopped falling, having crystallized on her cheeks, and she found herself so devoid of emotion that she felt completely empty for the first time in her life. Never before had seen been so crushed, so shattered and broken that she no longer felt alive. If it was one thing she had learned, however, it was that emotion often had no place in the practical, it was something that her mother had drilled into her head over and over again. And somehow, Laura had managed to separate the part of her that loved Sam more then anything in her life from the part of her that knew if she didn't do something, something _practical _then he would be lost forever. And that was the part that was ruling her thoughts at the moment.

"You should...you should go inside." Sam said weakly, his voice shaking from a mixture of fear and the chill that was seeping into his body. Was it even possible that the temperature had dropped even more since they had left the Russian barge? "Go inside." His body felt weary, exhausted, as though the act of speaking was too much to bear and he let his heavy head rest against the icy pillow beneath him.

"No." Laura shook her head, removing her sticky hands to examine the wound beneath them, as though if she had just kept it hidden it would have gone away. The injury that she saw was no doubt life threatening, a tiny, almost perfectly circular hole that continued to bleed profusely. Her hands had been insufficient in providing the amount of pressure that was needed to keep the wound sealed, to tourniquet the injury, and Laura knew that she was going to need something, anything, else if she wanted to keep Sam from bleeding to death in front of her.

Scooping up a handful of still white snow, Laura pressed it against the wound in Sam's side. This action warranted a cry of pain from the boy on the receiving end of this treatment, and he drew in a breath so sharp it sounded like a hiss. Horrified, Laura released her grip on the icy lump and looked at Sam with a defeated look upon her face. "I don't know what to do." She whispered for the first time in her life. It was the first time she had ever admitted that she was lost, that she was confused and didn't know what action to take next. "Sam, I don't know what to do." She pressed her face against his chest, her shoulders quivering with sobs that didn't come, pressing her bloody hands against her face as though she was attempting to shut everything out and wake from the horrible nightmare that had claimed her.

More then anything, Sam wanted to take her in his arms and comfort her, assure her that everything was going to be all right and she didn't have anything to worry about. But the knowledge of the energy that task would take was too overwhelming and he could do nothing but continue to lie where he was, wishing he could console the girl who so needed his comfort.

"Go...get help." Sam managed to say, causing Laura to lift her head. "Get Brian."

Laura looked at him with her doe-eyes wider then he had ever seen them. "I can't." She mumbled feebly. "I can't leave you."

Sam wished he could say something comforting but he barely had the energy to keep his eyes open, let alone utter meaningless phrases when he had to make sure that Laura did what had to be done. She was a practical girl, he knew, someone who always thought everything through and never acted irrationally. But now she was afraid, terrified even, and that would keep her from doing what her mind knew had to be taken care of. "You have to." Sam reminded her as forcefully as he could. "You've got to get Brian." _Otherwise, I might die..._he thought but didn't have the heart to say out loud. It was almost as though speaking those words would be like making everything more substantial and concrete; he might be signing his own death certificate.

Laura knew that Sam was right, that she couldn't handle the events unfolding rapidly around her on her own and she certainly couldn't take care of Sam out here in the cold more biting then what had filled the apartment. She needed help but she was still unwilling to get it.

"I...I can't." Laura mumbled weakly once again, hating herself for the doubt that fear that was coursing through her body. The person she knew she could spend the rest of her life with was dying in front of her and she couldn't even get to her feet. _What's the matter with you? _Her minded seemed to scream. _Help him! _But she couldn't, for some reason, she just couldn't.

"Laura." Sam said with an strength that seemed to shock the both of them. "Go."

Nodding numbly, Laura got to her feet and was surprised when her knees didn't buckle beneath her and send her crashing back to the ground. She stumbled backward, unwilling to turn her back on Sam but she knew that she would have to eventually put him behind her and she turned then, rushing back toward the apartment building they had left behind. It was almost as though she was attempting to leave behind all her fears, all the horrors her mind had been forced to endure in the past few minutes -had it really been a few minutes? Just minutes? It felt like an eternity, trying to outrun the nightmare that had become her life. If she only ran fast enough...far enough...

Laura cried out when she lost her footing upon the icy ground and went crashing to her knees once again. She remained where she was, resisting the urge to curl into the fetal position and abandon all her thoughts and worries, her fears and the surge of emotions rushing through her body but she did bury her face in her hands again, ignoring the crimson liquid that had already dried in the cold, staining her fingers and palms. "I can't." She mumbled to no one. "I just can't."

Her mind ran away from her then, taking her thoughts and forcing her to experience them almost like someone watching a movie. Laura thought of Sam and everything about him, random snippets of memory that ended with the sight of him laying on the slowly reddening snow, waiting for her to return and save him. She could not leave him, could not forsake him just because she was too frightened to control her own thoughts. He was frightened to but he somehow managed to be strong. But, despite the numerous acts she had put on throughout her life, Laura Chapman was not strong, she never had been. And now, she was just frightened.

Somewhere, she could no longer remember where, Laura had once heard someone say that, no matter how frightening and impossible things seemed to get, they would only allow themselves to the count of five to give into that fear, to let it totally control their body. And once five had been reached, then the fear would be banished and sanity and rational thinking would return. Laura lifted her head slowly, her lips moving soundless as she slowly counted, not completely aware of what she was doing.

"Five." She said and got to her feet.

* * *

Brian turned in surprise when the door open, looking away from the low flames that had held his attention for an unknown amount of time to greet whoever was returning to the apartment. Before a single word could leave his lips, Laura flew in front of the kitchen and nearly collapsed in front of him. He stared at her in wordless surprise, taking in her disheveled appearance; there were icy tears and blood on her cheeks and more blood on her hands and clothes. Her curls fell in front of her face in mad ringlets, making her look for all the World like an Amazonian warrior returning from battle. However, Brian had the feeling that whatever battle Laura had come from had not been a victorious one.

"What happened?" Brian asked when it became clear that Laura would not be able to manage a sentence at the moment. "Where's Sam?"

Laura opened her mouth but nothing resembling an answer to his question escaped from her lips. At a loss, she jabbed her finger in the direction she had come, as though attempting to convey just where Sam was indeed. "Outside." She finally managed to croak, surprising even herself, it seemed.

Brian gave her a confused look. "Outside." He repeated dumbly. "What happened?" he asked once again, taking one of her hands by the wrist and examining the blood on her hands. It clearly wasn't hers. "What happened to him?"

"A man..." Laura drew in a deep breath in an attempt to gain control over herself. "He came...surprised us...radio went off...he had a gun...he..." Her eyes grew wide again and it appeared that she would no longer be able to finish her story. However, she didn't need to for Brian had managed to gather how her tale would end.

"Sam got shot?" Brian questioned in an attempt to prod Laura into giving up any more of the story then she already had. Exhausted, Laura nodded once. "Is it bad?"

Laura looked at him, her lips now a thin pale line and she nodded again. "I think so." She whispered. "I think it is...Brian," she looked at him hopefully, "you've got to help him."

Brian looked at her uselessly. "What am I supposed to do?"

"I don't know." Laura admitted, shaking her head. "But I don't know what to do either and I need your help."

At that moment, Laura looked nothing like the girl he had known for most of his life, the girl who never needed help from anyone, never bothered to let anyone into her life and always knew what to do. She was the person that people came to in order to have their problems solved and now she was just as lost and confused as one of the many people who had come seeking her aid.

Brian got to his feet then and Laura followed suit; he cast a glance over his shoulder at the fire and hoped that there would still be something left to salvage when they returned. But he couldn't worry about that now, his best friend needed him. "Let's go, then."

* * *

Sam had given into the thought that Laura would never return, at least not in time to do any good but he did not believe that she had simply abandoned him. On the contrary, he believed something had happened to her and that thought, surprisingly, managed to consume all other thoughts. His mind was awash with worries of Laura and constant flashes of pain. He did not want to die alone but, at the moment, he didn't see any other way about it.

So when Laura was suddenly at his side, her cold hands resting against his feverish cheeks, Sam opened his eyes in surprise. For a moment, he wondered if he was dreaming and decided that, if he was, he never wanted to wake up; he never wanted to be forced back into the reality where he was dying slowly and Laura wasn't at his side.

"Sam." Laura said gently, speaking his name as though it was a complete sentence. Her hands never left his face, holding his hot cheeks in a gentle caress and she could think of nothing more to say. All she wanted to do was close her eyes and wish away this life, to wake up from this nightmare, to chase away these horrible visions and situations. But even if she closed her eyes and wished to be somewhere else, she would still be freezing in the snow, kneeling beside her slowly dying before, facing one impossible situation after another. Laura felt like her shoulders were being crushed by an impossible force, one that she would never be able to shake. Was it even possible that her life had suddenly turned out this way? She knew she shouldn't be surprised; nothing good came without a price.

Brian knelt down beside Sam, though he wasn't surprised when his friend didn't seem to notice him. He looked down at the circular wound on Sam's chest, which was still steadily leaking blood and winced; it was worse then he ever could have imagined but, then again, he had no idea what to expect, seeing as he had never seen a gunshot wound before. Especially not on his best friend.

Slowly, Sam turned his gaze in Brian's direction. "Hey buddy." He mumbled wearily. "Nice to see you."

Brian couldn't help but roll his eyes. Even while he was slowly bleeding to death in the frozen wasteland of New York City, he was still the same old Sam.


End file.
